Forgotten Memories
by Celina Corey
Summary: In the young stages of adolescence, Hermione allowed herself to be robbed of her innocence in order to save the lives of the people she loved the most, but will she ever be able to finally accept her Forgotten Memories?
1. The Man with Two Faces

**Author's Note:** Well, it's been a long time coming but it's finally here! This is my first fanfiction novel and, considering that, I am quite proud of it. I am still editing the majority of it however, but I just could not wait to get it up here, so here it is! I really hope you enjoy it!

Please do not be discouraged by the length of it, the chapters will get longer! I promise! This is merely the prologue! Including the prologue and the epilogue, _Forgotten Memories_ is sixteen chapters long.

This is rated so high due to strong language content in future chapters.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the _Harry Potter_ content in this story; all rights belong to J.K. Rowling. I do however own the characters Lauran, Analese, Ariana and Vladmir; they are purely OC. I also own some of the spells you will read in the future chapters.

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**Prologue:**

"_The Man with Two Faces"_

_Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all._

-the Princess Diaries, the movie

Her heart was pounding. Her mind defiant. Her ears must have lied. It could not, should not, be possible for someone to request such an act. Surely, he was joking. Any minute and he would begin to laugh and embrace the three for their bravery. But as the clock ticked on, his face became that of an assassin. His eyes showed there was no jest in his words. He meant, with all seriousness, what he had asked of her.

"Hermione, if you do not answer, I will be forced to choose for myself. I assure you, you will not like my choice."

Hermione looked to Harry and then to Ron. Her eyes began to well up with tears, but she would not allow herself to cry in front of them. She had to be strong. Bravely, she allowed herself to peek at the Man with Two Faces. He was watching her with a mocking smirk, his wand pointed towards Harry and then to Ron, alternating between the two as if it was a mere pendulum, rather than the beacon of death that it was.

Impatiently, he coughed, signaling her defeat. He waved his wand, not in spell but in annoyance, telling her she had limited time to make her decision. Her heart sunk as she looked to Harry and Ron once more. With the fleeting hope that they would make it out alive, she made what she hoped, what she wished would be the only hard decision she would ever have to make.

Hermione Jean Granger would give up her innocence to save the lives of Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley.


	2. Hogwarts

**Author's Note:** I wasn't going to post this today, but I just couldn't help myself. Hope you enjoy!

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Chapter One:**

"_Hogwarts"_

She jumped, her sudden movement forcing her back to harsh reality. Her reaction much like that of someone who had just woken from a dream in which they were falling to an untimely demise. She'd been dreaming, yes--but not of falling. She stretched, trying to recall just what it was she'd been doing before exhaustion claimed her. Waking up slightly more, she noticed the papers covered in notes smothering her desk and the computer screen whose pages were filled of random letters meant to be a novel.

As her eyes adjusted to the new state of consciousness, they locked on a picture of the very image that haunted her dreams. She was smiling, though she was sad, her hair was a mess and was sticking to her face. Every so often, the twelve year old Hermione in the picture would look up to the now twenty-three year old reflection of herself and give a fleeting smile, just to then duck her head down and kiss the head of the bundle in her arms. The bundle that pained her to see.

Seeing the picture made her eyes fill with tears. It had pained her to loose that bundle that meant all the world to her. So many nights, she lied awake in bed sobbing over the loss of the infant. And so many nights, her mother would rush in and say it was ok, that she had made the right choice and that time would heal the wound.

Now she wondered if her mother was right. Would time heal the wound? No, of course not. Nothing in world could possibly heal this type of hurt. Regretfully, she thought back to why she'd had to give up the child in the first place. Most obviously, she was so young. She was just barely old enough to become a mother, and yet she had. Time would never heal the pain a mother felt when she was forced to loose her offspring. Time would only soften the blow and turn it into an arrogant scar.

Hermione stood and clutched the picture in her hands, allowing a single tear to fall on the picture. As she watched the tear fall, she shook her head in defiance. She would not loose herself to events that happened eleven years prior, despite how much they hurt. Taking the picture in it's frame with her to the bedroom, she wrapped it in the latest of Rita Skeeter's lies. After which, she carefully placed it into her luggage and returned to the desk and the computer to exit out of whatever damage her dreams had done to her work. Looking around her, making sure she had not forgotten anything, she apparated to a vacated spot not far from King's Cross Station, to which she walked. Not allowing herself to be seen, she walked straight through Platforms Nine and Ten and entered the magical world where she could find her escape.

***

As the Hogwart's Express rolled into the Hogsmeade station, a bright-eyed, flaming red head barged her way into Hermione's compartment

"Hermione Jean Granger! Wake up! We're here and I doubt McGonagall would like you being late to your first day on the job," Ginny Weasley said with great annoyance.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She'd been dreaming of _her_ again. She knew it was dangerous and hurtful, but it was the only time Hermione could see her without looking at the one picture she had of her. Scanning the compartment, she saw Ginny watching her intently. She looked as if she was about to burst if she did not say something soon. Hermione rolled her eyes in farce annoyance, a sure signal to Ginny to just get to the point already.

Ginny sighed and seemed almost hesitant to go on, "Hermione, I know you miss her. But you know, maybe she'll be here tonight. After all, the timing is right and--"

"You don't think I haven't thought about that! Every night I lay awake hoping I'll get a chance to see her, to see if she even looks like me. But I've learned something: Wishing is worthless, if your wishes are not to come true," Hermione cut her off.

Ginny sighed once again and crinkled her nose. Hermione could definitely be stubborn, "Well, it could happen," she winced, almost waiting for Hermione to lash out at her again. When she didn't, she continued, "Either way, we should get going. We don't want to miss the Sorting."

Hermione nodded and followed her fellow witch off the train, through Hogsmeade and up into the Castle. In silence to two made their way into the Great Hall and sat at the Professor's Table. Not long after their belated entrance, Headmistress McGonagall entered with all the terrified first years and lead them all the way to the front where Filch had just placed a three-legged stool and the Sorting Hat. Hermione watched the children's eyes bug out in amazement when the hat began to sing it's song:

"_Oh, you may think I'm dodgy  
__I'm sure a sight to see.  
__Though go ahead, I dare you  
__find a better hat than me._

_Many a witch and wizard  
__have passed through these doors.  
__And many a treasure, I have seen  
__tumble 'cross the floor._

_And every year, year after year  
__I sing my annual song.  
__Try me on and I shall sort  
__and never have I been wrong._

_Shall you belong in Gryffindor,  
__where dwells the strong and brave?  
__Or perhaps in Hufflepuff,  
__where dwells the well behaved?_

_Should you be in Ravenclaw  
__where dwells those with intellect?  
__Or lastly, perchance in Slytherin  
__whose morals we shan't forget?_

_But my song serves a warning  
__to those of you with yearning,  
__for this year at Hogwarts  
__there will be more than learning._

_I sense a change in the air.  
__For two witches, I'm concerned;  
__for come June, they shall know  
__something they've never learned._

_With my warning said,  
__my song comes to an end.  
__But fear not, young ones,  
__let the sorting now begin._"

Smiling to herself, she remembered standing in that very spot listening intently to what the hat had to say. She also remembered, informing everyone that would listen that the ceiling of the Great Hall was just bewitched to look like the night sky, how she'd told everyone that pretended to be listening that she'd read so in _Hogwarts: a History_. She laughed to herself, containing her excitement over the memory, for it was one of the few that did not pain her. The memory that haunted her dreams so frequently, had yet to occur and she was still just the young muggle-born witch named Hermione that wanted nothing more than to prove her name.

Deciding that it might be wise to take note of the names of her future students, she began to listen. One girl, near the front with wavy, long brown hair, though, caught her attention. The child looked so familiar, that it yanked at Hermione's heart. Suddenly, McGonagall's voice rang out a name:

"Courtinger, Lauran"

Hermione watched as the brown-haired girl cautiously walked up to the front. The poor thing was so nervous that the first time she tried to sit on the stool she missed and toppled to the floor. The entire Hall broke out in laughter and Hermione herself chuckled a bit, but there was something about that girl that mesmerized her. That gave her a sense of peace. Hermione was so caught up in her own thoughts that she almost missed the Sorting Hat call out her House.

"Slytherin!"

Hermione could not stop her jaw from dropping slightly. She was utterly astonished. She'd been almost sure that-- There was her problem: getting caught up in wishing and hoping again. How many times must she tell herself that wishing was worthless.

To distract herself from her deceiving thoughts, she continued to watch the Sorting. When all the children were sorted into their houses and all the meal consumed, Headmistress McGonagall signaled for the attention of all in attendance, which she was quickly granted.

"A new year, a new opportunity to make new friends and learn new things. And a perfect time for new professors. I would like you all to give a warm welcome to Professor Granger, your new Charms professor, and Professor Weasley, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. I expect great things from these two," she announced slightly turning her head back to look at the two women whom she knew had gone through enough in their lives.

"Now, it is time for bed. Prefects, if you could please lead your houses to your Common Rooms?"

Within moments, the Great Hall cleared except for the professors who stayed back upon the Headmistress' request. She informed them all that tomorrow was the first day of classes, "Which you all should have already known," and requested they all sleep well as they had a long year ahead of them.

***

After a night's rest Hermione woke to dress and ready herself for the day ahead. When all was in tip-top shape she headed out of her private quarters and into her classroom to ready that as well. Within the hour, her first class of first year students carefully made their way into the room. She was already seated at her desk and once everyone was in their assigned seats, she rose to her feet.

"Good morning class. I am Professor Granger and I'll be your Charms professor for the next year," she began, mentally kicking herself for how cheesy it all sounded, "Now if you'll take out your notebooks, today we will take notes on classroom etiquette and maybe if we have time, we will begin tomorrow's lesson."

Quickly, every student obeyed…except for one…

"Lauran Courtinger. Why have you not taken out your notebook?"

The child merely smirked and shrugged her shoulders. Hermione sighed, it was only the first day and she really didn't want to take points from Houses just yet, but this girl was already plucking her nerves; which to be honest, perplexed Hermione because of her thoughts of the girl the night before.

"Lauran, please take out your notebook."

The smirk on her face grew, "Whose going to make me? You? I'd like to see you try."

Hermione glared, "That's it young lady! I won't have you disrespecting me in my classroom. I don't care if it is the first day or not, you are not immune to work so you can just wipe that attitude away right now. Ten points from Slytherin _and_ you have detention with me tonight at five o'clock."

Lauran gapped at her professor as if she believed her to not have to guts to do such an act. Finally, after being threatened that if she kept making that face, it would be stuck as such, she shrunk down into her seat and remained quiet for the rest of the class, attempting to ignore the snickers from her classmates. At the end of the lesson on etiquette, there was not enough time to begin the next day's lesson, so the class just settled on open discussion.

One curious Ravenclaw student, that Hermione could not help but notice had vivid red hair that stood out more so than even the Weasleys' themselves, partly due to the fact that when it was braided, as she had it, it almost reached the floor even when flung over the back of her chair, asked, "What year did Hogwarts open?"

Another cunning, but slightly confused muggle-born student replied, "Google it!"

Hermione simply laughed and said, "Screw Google…I've got something better!"

After having said so, Hermione lifted a big heavy volume off of the bookshelf in one corner of the room and handed it to the student who was curious. The title read: _An Encyclopedia of Important Wizarding Dates_.

The class howled out their laughter at their professor's obvious weak points and Hermione was flushed a little with embarrassment, but was otherwise pleased that they appeared to like her. Well, _most _of the class anyway.

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**Author's Note:** As an interesting piece of information, the above quote: _One curious Ravenclaw student, that Hermione could not help but notice had vivid red hair that stood out more so than even the Weasleys' themselves, partly due to the fact that when it was braided, as she had it, it almost reached the floor even when flung over the back of her chair, asked, "What year did Hogwarts open?"_ was written by a friend. My original piece had been: _One curious student asked, "What year did Hogwars open?"_ She decided that this wasn't descriptive enough and stole the computer and keyboard from me, after being told that the character was to be modeled after herself.

She also changed the next quote: _Another cunning, but slightly confused muggle-born student replied, "Google it!"_ I believe this originally read: _Another student replied, "Google it!"_ Again, it wasn't descriptive enough. I decided to keep the changes because I felt that they added more to the story; also, one will prove a tad important in a future chapter.

And finally, the last interesting piece of information: The "Google it!"/"Screw Google...I've got something better!" conversation actually occured in real life, ironically enough between the friend who made changes and myself. I was the one who said, "Google it!" And she said, "Screw Google...I've got something better!" I can't remember what precisely the conversation was about, but I do know that it was _Harry Potter_ related. After the conversation, she requested that I put it in my story, so there it is!

And so concludes the really long author's note...

(Don't forget to check out my website. You can access it from my profile by clicking on _Homepage_.)


	3. Similarities

**Author's Note: **In this chapter, I believe that Hermione gets a little out of character...but I like it nonetheless.

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**Chapter Two:**

"_Similarities"_

Later on that evening, Hermione sat at the desk in the front of her classroom, waiting for the student who'd been disrespectful during the first class. _Typical Slytherin_, Hermione thought, _Just as arrogant as ever._ She was determined to teach the overconfident little witch a thing or two about respect, even if it took all night. Hermione planned on the girl doing lines, but of course not the same as Dolores Umbridge would have. She cringed at the memory of, "I must not tell lies," etched into Harry's hand. The way Umbridge treated him just for trying to save people by telling what was honest, you would have thought he'd spoken blasphemy…but, of course, anything true is blasphemy in the eyes of Dolores Umbridge.

A quiet knock on the door interrupted Hermione's thoughts. Looking up, she bid them to enter and within seconds the heavy door opened to reveal Lauran Courtinger. However, there was something different about her. Her eyes seemed red, as if she'd been crying, and her lip held a small scratch from which she was bleeding. Hermione inquired about her acrimonious appearance, but the girl just simply shook her head in a silent, "No."

Another knock on the door made Hermione jump out of astonishment. Silently making her way to the door, Hermione glanced back at the new child standing in her room. What could have happened to her? What happened to the arrogant attitude of the Slytherin child? Hermione kicked herself for being so quick to judge, this girl could have more problems than she cared to let on and only misbehaved for attention. _Yes, that must be it, _Hermione concluded. The knock sounded again, reminding her that another person requested her audience. Finally reaching the door, Hermione opened it just a tad so that she might get a peek at who was behind it. To her surprise she saw:

"Ron! What on Earth are you doing here?"

The red-head, freckled-face man laughed and embraced her in a friendly hug that seemed to last a little longer than was considered polite. He noticed the girl in the room, and asked, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Hermione shook her head saying, "No, I was just about to begin her detention."

Ron looked bewildered, "Merlin, Hermione! It's the first day of classes and you've already gave someone detention! That's like…like…like Umbridge!"

Hermione spun around to face him, her eyes were narrow and for a fleeting moment his mind drifted to a vulture about to attack it's prey. Cautiously, he took a few steps back and waited for the bomb to go off.

"Umbridge?! You dare to compare me to that filthy, ungrateful toad? I am nothing like her! I do not use unjust, medieval torture methods as punishment for my students! How dare you accuse me of ever being close to similar to the self-centered, egotistical rat that _she_ is!"

The room was silent. Ron and Lauran stood quietly, as if expecting more anger and more yelling. Instead, however, Hermione simply waltzed into her office and slammed the door. More silence welcomed the pair as time went on. Lauran was amazed at how quickly her professor could get enraged. _And who in the world is Umbridge?_ When Lauran sensed the danger had passed, she slowly walked up to the man her professor had called, "Ron." Looking up at him with her brown eyes, she asked, "Is she always like that?"

Slipping out of the office, Hermione watched the pair in front of her jump at her calm answer, "Only when Ron is being an ignorant git."

Looking at the faces of her audience, which she had to admit were amusing enough to forget her unexplained anger, Hermione reevaluated the situation. Maybe, she _had_ gone overboard with her response to the Umbridge comment, but _one cannot change what was said in the past. One can only change what will be said in the future._ Also amused by her philosophical ranting that only herself was able to hear, she began to laugh. Within moments, Ron and Lauran joined in. Hermione could only imagine what the sight might look like to a passerby, which only made her laugh harder. Finally, when she could no longer breathe from laughing, she signaled for the two in attendance to quiet down.

"Alright, Lauran. We should begin your detention now," she said between long, deep breaths.

Lauran's face sunk, but she nonetheless obeyed. At the order given by Hermione, she began to write the lines instructed. As she did so, Ron and Hermione made small talk, which, being the two had been best friends for twelve years, lead to a long conversation about random events from their memories. After their "trip down memory lane," Ron started to look at Lauran with curiosity etched into his face. Of course, Hermione inquired why.

His voice was low when he responded, so as not to be heard by anyone other than whom he intended, "She looks like you, she writes like you do. What if…"

"Oh, Ronald! Stop it! You know just as well as I do that there is no way it is possible!"

Ron rolled his eyes, "It is not _im_possible. It is very possible!"

"Ron, just drop it. She is not my daughter, end of discussion."

***

The next day in Charms class, the students began to learn the "Swish and Flick" technique so that they may be able to cast the _Wingardium Leviosa_ spell and make something levitate in the air. One poor student had already managed to send his wand flying across the room, right past the brainy professor and into the wall where it miraculously wedged itself between two of the centuries old bricks. The class roared out in laughter and the boy shrank down into his seat from embarrassment. Hermione simply smiled and said, "_Accio_ Trevor's wand," and it un-wedged itself and flew right into her expecting hand. At which time, she handed the wand back to it's owner, smiled and bid him be careful.

"Let's not decapitate someone, shall we?"

After the "Wand Incident" a group of about six Slytherin girls began snickering over a piece of paper held tightly in the hands a chubby girl. The chubby girl was waving the paper and it's contents in front of the face of none other than Lauran Courtinger. Lauran's face was bright red and she kept swiping her head away from the paper whenever the chubby girl would shove it in her face. With the same ferocity, the chubby girl shoved it in her face each time. Now Hermione understood Lauran's appearance the night before and her behavior the day before: she was an outcast in the noble house of Slytherin; which, among Slytherins, was not tolerated. Hermione sighed, she could only allow so many disruptions in one day.

"Girls!"

As if they'd just been pricked with needles, all six girls hurried back to their seats, pretending to have not been doing a thing. Hermione was wiser than they gave her credit for. Walking up to the chubby girl, who was now attempting to hide the paper under her large bottom, Hermione gave all six a stern eye. She held her hand out, demanding the paper. The chubby girl refused.

Hermione smiled and said, "Well, since I have a group of troublemakers in my classroom, I suppose I'll just have to give the punishment I see fit. Twenty points from Slytherin…each," she reminded herself an awful lot like her old transfiguration professor, "And unless you, dear, hiding the paper, would like to hand it over, I will also take another thirty."

All Slytherins in the classroom stared at her in horror. One hundred and fifty points taken for a simple outburst? Didn't she understand that they were the _privileged_ house? Hermione chuckled to herself almost guessing their thoughts, _It was about time someone taught them they can't always have their way._ Glancing around, almost as if she was asking her fellow students what she should do, the chubby girl reluctantly handed her professor the paper she'd had and then began to sulk. Though she'd saved thirty of their points, they still had lost one hundred and twenty and it was only the second day of classes!

Hermione took the paper from her hands and read the contents to herself:

_I, Lauran Anastasia Courtinger, love Vladmir Lucius Malfoy. I hope that he can accept me for who I am, a filthy, ungrateful, magic-stealing and undeserving Mudblood._

She could almost not believe what she had read. Could this generation really be this harsh? Eyes narrowing over the part that hit a little close to home, she dismissed all her class except the six girls and Lauran. Once all the students were outside of the classroom, Hermione began, "Who wrote this? Go on, tell me. I ought to take all of Slytherin's House Points for the filthy words on this paper! So, no one wants to come clean? Detention! All of you, except Miss Courtinger. Out of my classroom! Oh, Lauran, dear, could you please stay, however."

Lauran obeyed and sat in the chair in front of Hermione's desk. Hermione sat in the chair behind it. She offered the girl some tea, which she refused. Hermione sighed, what a difficult situation indeed, "Lauran, do you have any idea what this might be about?"

The young girl stared at her feet for a minute, carefully selecting her words, "They found my diary last night. In it, I said that my parents are muggles and that I fancy Vladmir. I suppose they decided they wanted to joke me for not being a _proper_ Slytherin."

Hermione's heart reached out to the girl, "Well, first of all…No one can make you feel inferior without your permission. If you do not let them get to you, they will stop; not immediately, but they _will_ stop. Secondly, are you sure that you should have interest in Vladmir? He's not exactly what you call a good influence, and neither is his family."

"I know all of this. And as for his family, he's different. He doesn't treat me the way all the other Slytherins do," she sighed, "It's like I'm an outcast and I don't belong. I think I'd do a lot better in Hufflepuff."

Hermione sighed again, "Lauran, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. For example, look at Lucius Malfoy, Vladmir's father. He was a Death Eater, someone who followed the most evil wizard ever, Lord Voldemort. And then his first born son, Draco? Well, most wizards and witches have strong reason to believe he also is Death Eater, but not enough evidence was ever accumulated to prove that theory. Though Voldemort is dead, there are still Death Eaters out there. Lucius is in Azkaban because of it, and Draco would be if he could be found, as there's speculation that he might be working to become the next 'Dark Lord.' You need to realize that one day, Vladmir may also become a Death Eater...if he already isn't."

"Who are you to judge him based off of his family? You don't even know him? What are you? My mother," her eyes narrowed, "I don't have to listen to you! You're just out to get all Slytherins and because I'm one, you're out to get me!"

Lauran stormed from the room. Hermione let out a very exasperated sigh. That girl really got on her nerves at times. And at times she appeared to be an exact replica of Hermione. _Maybe Ron was right_, Hermione almost slapped herself for be so hopeful. Once again, she had to stop herself from hoping, from wishing.

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**Final Author's Note:** When Hermione was lecturing the girls about the paper, she reminded me a little bit of Molly Weasley when she was lecturing her sons for stealing the car to rescue Harry.


	4. Herbology

**Author's Note:** Finally, we get a chapter from Lauran's point of view...I wonder what her day will be like?

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****Chapter Three:**

"_Herbology"_

The days passed by and before they knew it, it was the Equinox. The air began to become cold and crisp, the typical Hogwarts climate of autumn. On that lovely Saturday morning, Headmistress McGonagall stood at her podium in front of the students filling the Great Hall. She held a anxious smile on her face as she began to speak.

"Your attention, please. Your attention, please. Today, students, I have a great announcement. This year, the staff of Hogwarts and I have decided to begin a new annual event: the Samhain Ball. The Samhain Ball will be much like a dance. Take note, however, this is to be a formal event and dress robes will be expected. On Monday, when you all return to classes, your first class professor will pass out permission slips to be mailed home and signed, so that you may attend. Also, two weeks before the event in question, you all will be allowed to travel to Hogsmeade to purchase your dress robes. Your parents may attend on that weekend, if they wish."

The Samhain Ball was popular talk for the girls during the weekend, and even the talk of Monday morning as they headed to their first classes. On this particular day, Lauran's first class was Herbology. As she walked down the pathway leading to the Green House, she dreaded the upcoming ball. No one would ask her, especially not after what happened in Charms that day. Everyone hated her. She was the Slytherin outcast and because she was a Slytherin, none of the other houses wanted to befriend her. She was all alone.

She made it to the Green House to see Professor Longbottom already starting class. _What else is new? I'm always late_, she thought to herself. He was going on his usual rant about herbs he found amazing. The herb of today was Gillyweed. She sat down at her normal seat and waited for the ranting to be over. As he continued talking, Lauran's eyes roamed the Green House. In the distance she saw the mountains and desperately wanted to be on top of them. Maybe there she would have freedom to do as she pleased, be as she wanted to be and not have to worry about judgment from anyone or anything. Eyes still roaming, she looked at her immediate surroundings and saw a short blonde-haired boy soaking his brain with the knowledge Professor Longbottom gave them, despite that it had nothing whatsoever to do with their recent lessons. But something behind the boy caught her attention. Behind him, on a shelf lined with pots, was a small, green garden snake.

Ever since she was little, she'd loved snakes. At the park when she saw a snake, she would always try to go near it to pick it up, but her mother did not like that idea. Her mother was desperately terrified of snakes, as was her father. Her heart fell, she was even an outcast in her own family. Secretly wishing she could just get out of her seat and pick up the snake and keep it as a pet, she pondered what she would name it if she could do so. Maybe, after class if she talked to Professor Longbottom, he would allow her to take it with her. She laughed to herself at the thought of sneaking it into Matilda's bed while she was sleeping just to hear her scream in terror. _Who's not the proper Slytherin now?_ she could almost hear herself saying in a sing-song voice. Oh, how she hated that chubby witch.

She'd been so caught up in her daydreams that she hadn't even noticed the entire class staring at her as if she was some sort of evil apparition. "What?" she asked the class. It was Professor Longbottom who, very sternly, answered.

"Lauran, were you telling that snake to attack Matilda?"

Lauran was confused. She hadn't been telling the snake to do anything, she hadn't even been _talking_ to the snake. _Wait! Did he just say the snake is attacking Matilda?_ she thought to herself. Victoriously, she allowed herself a peek. Sure enough, the snake in question was curled around Matilda's neck and snapping it's jaws at her in an almost taunting gesture. Lauran could not help but laugh.

"I didn't tell the snake to do anything. I don't talk to snakes. But so what if--" she cut herself off, "I mean: Oh, how horrible, Matilda. But I wouldn't worry about to much. The snake isn't poisonous."

Professor Longbottom almost snarled, a rare event indeed, "Lauran Courtinger! You tell that snake to stop terrorizing her right this minute!"

Lauran felt helpless. _Has he gone mental?!_ What could she possibly do to make him realize she was not telling the snake to attack Matilda, as funny as it was. Then her mind sparked an idea.

Slowly, she walked up to Matilda and the snake and said, "Stop."

By some miracle, the snake actually stopped and slid off the girl's neck, back down to the floor and curled almost lovingly at Lauran's feet. The entire class gasped. Lauran turned around to face them, which only frightened them more. They stepped back from her. _Surprise, surprise_, she thought to herself. Professor Longbottom ran to the aid of Matilda and sent her and another student to the Hospital Wing so that Madam Pomfrey might check for injuries. Soon Professor Longbottom dismissed the rest of the class quite a bit early. Once the last student had left and was out of sight, he turned to Lauran.

"How long have you known you were a Parselmouth?"

Lauran was ever the more confused, "A Parsel-what?"

"A Parselmouth! You can talk to snakes, yes?"

She was starting to get angry, "I have never talked to snakes! Whatever happened was just a coincidence!"

"Come with me, young lady."

And without her say in the matter he was grabbing hold of her wrist and almost dragging her to the Headmistress' office, where he then whispered the password to the gargoyle and lead her up the stairs leading to the heavy door. Knocking urgently on the door, he waited to be allowed entrance. Within in the moment, Headmistress McGonagall's voice rang out from the other side of the door saying, "Come in."

Headmistress McGonagall appeared taken aback at the scene that unfolded in front of her, "Professor Longbottom. Miss Courtinger. What is so urgent that it could not wait until after class?"

Shutting the door behind them, Professor Longbottom answered, "Headmistress, this girl is a Parselmouth!"

"Merlin's Beard, Neville! Such a heavy accusation!"

Now Lauran was just getting plain-out annoyed, "Can someone please tell what a Parsel-whatever is?"

McGonagall was the one who spoke, "A Parsel_mouth_ is someone who can talk to snakes. Parsel_tongue_ is the language used for talking to snakes. It is usually used by dark wizards and witches."

Lauran passed her boiling point, "Oh great! First you tell me that I'm a witch! Then you come in and classify me as an evil witch, _just_ because I can, according to you, talk to snakes! What kind of crack pot school is this anyway?"

Almost as if she had not been heard, Neville spoke out, "Do you think that we should search her for the Dark Mark?"

McGonagall was hesitant with her reply, obviously weighing the options, "Perhaps we should. Just to be sure. Lauran, could you please come here and let me look at your arm."

Lauran rolled her eyes, but instinctively handed Headmistress McGonagall her right arm, but was instantly told to reveal the left. The Headmistress took her arm in her hands and took a deep breath just before she moved Lauran's sleeve up enough to see…

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**OH! A CLIFF-HANGER ENDING!**


	5. A Shocking Discovery

**Author's Note:** Sorry it took so long for this chapter, I've been kind of busy lately...but nonetheless, here it is!

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

"_A Shocking Discovery"_

_Lauran rolled her eyes, but instinctively handed Headmistress McGonagall her right arm, but was instantly told to reveal the left. The Headmistress took her arm in her hands and took a deep breath just before she moved Lauran's sleeve up enough to see…_

…nothing.

They could all breathe a bit easier now.

***

Lauran had hoped that after she was cleared of all "charges," she had apparently attained by "talking to a snake," that things would go back to normal. She couldn't have been more wrong. Rumors were floating around the school like the very air we breathe. People now believed her to be a distant relative to Salazar Slytherin, and thusly because of that connection she must be the daughter of Lord Voldemort. They also believed that she planned to reopen the Chamber of Secrets, though no one would tell her what it was and she had no idea herself, to wreak havoc upon the school once more and rid it's infiltrated walls filled of innocent muggle-borns. Lauran could just not believe the way people's minds worked at this school.

Sulking to herself, Lauran made her way into the Great Hall for another stupid breakfast, to begin another stupid day. Taking her normal seat by herself at the Slytherin table, noticing that people looked at her warily and moved away as she sat down, she took out her book and began reading. Lauran delved deep into the magnificent world her book took her into. In that magnificent world she was finally accepted. She no longer had to worry about the petty problems of her everyday life. It was the one and only place she felt at home.

Lauran's train of thought was interrupted by a dark shadow crossing over the pages of her book, announcing the arrival of someone in front of her. Already scolding, she looked up. Her heart caught to see Vladmir Malfoy looking down, smiling at her.

"Lauran," he asked politely, "Can I have a word with you please?"

She put her book down, "Yes, you can."

"I'm sure you know about the Sam-hane Ball next month," he said, pronouncing Samhain wrong, which made Lauran cringed.

"Sow-when. It's pronounced Sow-when, not Sam-hane. But yes, I have heard of it."

His faced strained to hide annoyance, "Nonetheless, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go to the Ball with me?"

Lauran smiled, "I would love to go to the Ball with you."

***

"In light of recent events, we have decided that it would be beneficiary to lower the curfew of nine o'clock to the hour of seven o'clock. This will begin immediately and will be strongly enforced. No exceptions."

Headmistress McGonagall's voice rang throughout the historic castle. Through the halls her voice was like a rogue spirit, causing students to stand dead in their tracks, anger spewing forth through their veins. In classrooms, students were hushed to what could be compared to the calm before the storm. In the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, all eyes were a single brown-eyed, brown-haired girl, whom they all blamed.

Lauran was sulking in her chair. She didn't like all eyes on her, though she so desperately tried to hide the fact. Giving the gawking students a death glare, which she only hoped conveyed confidence, she felt the warmth rising up her face. She sighed, embarrassed over her blush. _Bloody Hell! All of this over my ability to talk to snakes?_ Lauran thought to herself.

The students at Hogwarts now despised Lauran more than ever; some even appeared to be afraid of her. Her professors were now hovering over her as if she were a time-bomb about to explode. She was tired of being ogled over every minute of every day. So far, this school was nothing she had anticipated. It wasn't even half way through the semester, not even into the second month of the school year and already the entire school was against her. Well…_almost_ the whole school. It appeared that Vladmir Malfoy had taken a liking to her, despite Professor Granger's warnings.

Lauran had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Professor Weasley standing right in front of her looking absolutely furious.

"Miss Courtinger, are you so wrapped up into your sudden burst of popularity that you believe you have no need to participate in the daily requirements of this classroom?"

The class erupted into a cruel and mocking laughter. Professor Weasley continued to stare into her eyes, silently demanding a response.

"I--I'm not popular. Everyone hates me for something I cannot control. I just have a lot going on right now. My mind is…preoccupied," Lauran anxiously answered.

"Popular does not necessarily mean that you are liked by everyone. An infectious disease that carries warts may be popular, and Merlin knows nobody would like _that_! And if your mind is as preoccupied as you say, maybe we should enroll you into therapy; that way you will be able to pay attention in my class. Either way, I expect you to be punctual to class, which you have failed to do your entire time here, and I also expect you to come prepared to my classroom. By not answering the question I asked you previously, you have lead me to believe that you were ill-prepared for my class; which I do not take lightly to."

Lauran was almost stunned at her lecture, but nonetheless responded, "What did I ever do to this school to make the people in it hate me so much? Is it really that bad that I can _apparently_ talk to snakes?"

Professor Weasley sighed, attempting to calm down, "That will be explained at another time during the year…possibly. However, Lauran, I think it would be in your best interest if you had detention with me after class."

Lauran sighed, there was no going back now; after a second she nodded. Within moments, the class returned to normal. The students turned back around in their seats to face the front, although some still snickered, and Professor Weasley returned to her lesson. But Laruan could have sworn that she kept looking in her direction, casting an appearance of deep concern.

After the class had been dismissed, as promised, Lauran stayed back for her Detention. Rather than having her write lines like Professor Granger had her do, Professor Weasley had her help clean the classroom. Lauran was to put away all the spare books her professor had laying around. As she worked, she took great care not to damage the books she moved in any way. She'd always loved books and the journey they took her on, no matter what that may be. She was so lost in her exertion that she never noticed her confounded professor staring at her intently.

Ginny was amazed. The girl took care of books as if they were a treasure meant to be stored, an artifact meant to be preserved. She had never seen someone take such care of books…_Well actually, I have._ she thought silently, _Hermione does!_ Startled by the connection she was making between the two, Ginny couldn't help but hope for Hermione's sake. Her best friend had never felt whole since she had been forced to loose her child. Wouldn't it just be ironic if this supposed trouble-maker was actually the book worm's long-lost daughter?

Bracing herself for a let down, Ginny broke the silence, "Lauran, if you don't mind…May I ask about your parents?"

Lauran looked up from her work, slightly surprised that her professor had spoke, and responded, "Well…I don't know my _real_ parents. I was adopted. My adopted parents were muggles, but no one knows that I was adopted. I was really surprised when I got my letter from Hogwarts. Then my _parents_, if that's what you call them, explained it all. They said my mother got pregnant but could not handle a baby so I was put up for adoption. They said that she'd been a witch, but said nothing more. I asked about my birth father but they said they never met him."

Ginny almost allowed her jaw to drop, but caught it before the young girl could notice. She was _adopted_?!


	6. The Samhain Ball

**Author's Note:** This chapter has some violence and some profanity. Reviews are welcome!

**

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****Chapter Five:**

"_The Samhain Ball"_

It was late at night while Hermione slept at her desk with a long roll of parchment filled with words. Her ink had long since spilled over her desk and escaped onto to her robes. Sleepily she stretched, rolling over on the desk, only causing her hair to fall into the ink. Sensing something not quite right, Hermione woke to find the situation she was in.

"Fuck!"

Hermione was absolutely infuriated with herself, _Well at least my novel didn't get ruined this time_. How many times was she going to fall asleep in the middle of her writing? A slight chuckle from the other side of the room interrupted her thoughts. Looking up, she saw Ginny sitting on a short bookshelf looking quite smug.

"Having issues?"

Hermione glared, "I most certainly am not!"

"Of course, you're not. We all fall asleep with an open container of ink sitting on our desk and knock it over in our sleep, only to later roll over in the ink and get it in our hair. No, Hermione, you _don't_ have issues at all," Ginny replied sarcastically.

Hermione cringed playfully, "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Long enough," Ginny bit her lip, obviously hiding something.

Hermione noticed and questioned, "What is it?"

"I assume you know Lauran?"

Hermione sighed, "Lauran Courtinger? What about her?"

"Have you ever thought that maybe…"

Hermione's eyes grew narrow, "Oh, not you too!"

"What do you mean?"

Hermione flung her arms out in anger, "First Ron thinks she is my daughter from all those years ago, and now you? Don't you realize that the thought has already crossed my mind? Don't you realize a part of me hopes that it is her? Don't you realize that I can't let myself hope, that it will only hurt me in the end?"

Ginny jumped back at the unexpected response, "Why not hope? She acts just like you! Have you ever seen her with a book? She treats books like they are her own secret treasure!"

"So what! She likes books! A lot of people like books! Her liking books is just a coincidence!"

Ginny started to head for the door, "Hermione, I know your memories hurt, but you can't dwell in the past forever."

With that she left Hermione alone to allow her tears, which had been building during the fight, fall from her face and onto her work.

***

On the date of October thirty-first, the excitement in the air was so tangible that you could almost taste it in each breath that you took. Lauran sat alone in her dormitory room staring at the dress robes she'd bought two weeks prior. They were a gorgeous dark-blue with black lace covering the sea of fabric in an intricate manner. She was very nearly afraid to put the robes on, for fear that they may become ruined at her very touch.

Sliding the breath-taking material on, she sighed. Tonight was going to be the best night of her life. She didn't care that half the school hated her, for on this one night it wouldn't matter. On this night she would be with, in her opinion, the most handsome boy in school. They would laugh, dance and maybe at the end of the evening he would kiss her. It would be a magical night, indeed.

A knock at the door halted her thoughts. She did a giddy little jump as she made her way to the door. Lauran took care to collect herself before she opened the door to reveal a young boy with platinum blonde hair, looking very attractive in his black and silver dress robes. She'd never met his brother before, but she often heard her professors saying that he looked like a toned down version of him. However, she deemed this impossible.

"Vladmir!"

The boy smiled, "Lauran, how are you on this fine evening?"

"I'm fine. And yourself?"

She couldn't help but notice the smirk that crossed the boy's face, "I am eager for the night's events."

Her heart did a little flutter when he offered her his arm, which she gladly received. In silence he led her down to the Great Hall. The sight they entered upon took Lauran's breath away. The room was dark, with the only light coming from the candles floating up high near the ceiling. Normally their intensity would be brighter; however, on this night it was much lower. The walls were enchanted black in colour and were absolutely beautiful with the flickering light from the candles reflecting onto to them. All around the room were random touches of gold. Lauran had been expecting orange but had to admit that the gold added a nice affect.

As by the Headmistress' instruction, they entered and stood by the wall. Beautiful music began and the Head Boy and Girl entered looking particularly extraordinary in their matching black and gold outfits. It appeared that they had been previously notified about the colours of choice for the décor of the Ball. Once reaching the center of the room, the Head Couple began to dance.

Lauran smiled to herself and looked at Vladmir, "Are we going to dance now…or later?"

He sighed, "Actually, I'm a little hungry. I'll go get us some food and then later we can dance."

And with that he left. Lauran was all alone, standing along the sidelines. Her mind kept wandering to the thought of how it would be to dance in his arms. She almost could not contain her excitement. What if he asked if she would date him? What should she say? Lauran almost lost herself to a thrill inspired squeal. So lost in her anticipation, she did not notice the blonde-haired boy sneaking up from behind.

He held a cup full of punch in one hand and plate full of some kind of dessert in another. Calling her name, he waited for her to turn around and when she did he shoved the plate in her face. When she stammered back startled, he threw the contents of the cup onto her face and laughed as it poured down the front of her dress robes.

"Looks like the improper Heir of Slytherin is having a wee bit of a problem," he yelled, commanding the attention of all in attendance to the Ball.

Lauran was horrified. Her anger began to rise and she could almost swear she felt herself loosing a grip of reality. Her breaths became faster and closer together. Her vision was changing. Instead of seeing everything from a normal perspective, she now saw her surroundings in a scarlet colour. Most amazingly was the wind. Though they were inside the castle, there was fierce wind blowing throughout the Great Hall. Everyone around her went silent.

Lauran roared out to Vladmir, "I hate you, you foul loathsome, evil little cockroach!"

The wind picked up its intensity. All of a sudden, instead of the wind swirling aimlessly about the Hall, it focused its intensity and threw Vladmir against the wall. His head hit the wall with a sickening crack, and he was knocked unconscious. He was bleeding severely when he hit the floor, causing several students and staff members to run up to the Hospital Wing to fetch Madam Pomfrey.

Lauran, almost frightened by what she had done, ran from the Great Hall, horrified. So horrified that she didn't even notice the red-headed Ravenclaw from her Charms class following behind her muttering something about a "filthy little git," while she threw a hateful glance at Vladimir's prone form sprawled across the floor, surrounded by a group of concerned students and staff members.

***

Later on that evening, Headmistress McGonagall was pacing her office so fast it was a miracle she was not lightheaded. She was surrounded by the majority of her Hogwarts staff. Madam Pomfrey had just rushed through the door making the announcement that the boy did not appear to be getting any better and that the magic the girl had cast had given him more than a concussion. Hermione and Ginny stood off in one corner of the room, staring intently at their apprehensive Headmistress. For what seemed like the millionth time that evening, the Headmistress sighed.

"How was she able to do it? How could a young witch of the mere age of eleven cause something that most adult wizards and witches are never able to do in their entire lifetime?!"

No one was able to provide an answer.

Madam Pomfrey asked the question that was running through the minds of everyone present, "Should we alert the Ministry?"

Some professors wanted to do so, some however were not so sure, "It may not have been the girl. It could have been the Enchanted Ceiling. It would not be the first time it was faulty. Remember all those years ago with Moody?"

McGonagall's eyes narrowed, "I remember very well! However, as you may very well remember it was actually a Death Eater in disguise as Alastor Moody! The Ceiling has _never_ been faulty. The girl was doing something, but whatever it was, I don't think she even realized. And in answer to your question," she turned to Madam Pomfrey, "I do not think we should alert the Ministry, just yet. We should, however, keep a very close eye on the girl…just in case."

***

Meanwhile, Lauran was out by the Black Lake, tossing rocks into the dark abyss of water. The whole process reminded her very much of her life. Every time the water would be calm, she would throw another rock in to cause ripples. It was the same with her life. Every time something would be going right, it seemed that fate had its own plans in mind. However, the plans of fate always tended to include her being hurt in some way, shape or form. As she worked, silent tears poured down her face. She really thought he liked her. She really thought that he actually saw her for who she was. Lauran guessed that no one would ever truly see her for the person she was and wanted to be.

As she sat, she did not notice the girl with extremely long, red hair, wearing Ravenclaw robes, approaching her from behind. With caution, the girl placed her hand on Lauran's shoulder. In result, Lauran jumped and spun around with such force that she thought would have she knocked the girl over.

"What do you want?"

The girl sighed, "I just wanted to help…I saw that you were upset."

"And you actually care? You don't hate me?"

The girl almost laughed, "Of course I don't hate you, why would I?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"You've never given me any reason."

Lauran desperately tried to stop her jaw from dropping, "You mean other than the fact that I am apparently a Parselmouth and what happened tonight."

"No. I don't hate you for any of that."

Lauran sighed, confused, "Well…I guess introductions are due," she extended her arm to offer her hand, "My name is Lauran. Lauran Courtinger."

The girl smiled, taking her hand, "I know. I'm Analese Corey."

Lauran almost allowed herself to smile, but fear stopped her. What if this ended like it did with Vladmir?

* * *

**Footnote:** If you would like to see the dress I modeled Lauran's dressrobes after, go to the link below (just take out the spaces):

http : / / cn1 . kaboodle . com / hi / img / 2 /0 / 0 / 56 / f / AAAAAkwT0bIAAAAAAFb75Q . j p g


	7. Dreams, Visitors and Intentions

**Author's Note:** I apologize for how short this chapter is. It is mostly a filler, but part of it will prove to be important.

**

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**

Chapter Six:

"_Dreams, Visitors and Intentions"_

_Success is always wonderful. It brings you happiness and it felt as if this was the happiest she'd ever been in her entire life. They'd done it. They were a family now. No more feeling alone or sad. There they stood, just staring at one another, almost afraid that if either blinked the good feeling would go away. Together, they walked off, arm in arm. They were smiling. It was such a good feeling; nothing could ever ruin it._

Hermione and Lauran woke with a start.

***

Hogwarts was in an uproar. If it wasn't enough that the first Samhain Ball was a total disaster in its first hour, fate had to send in an angry older brother to put the icing on the cake. Draco Malfoy plowed through the halls, his face tight in arrogance. He was making his way fast through the corridors of the school that once was his. His destination was the Headmistress' office to make a very wordy complaint. He didn't care that it was in the middle of the night, his brother was in the Hospital Wing for reasons he had not been told and he wanted answers. When he made it to the door, he very impatiently rapped his hands against the door. When there was no answer, he did so again. Again, there was no answer. Annoyed, he forced an entrance.

His voice rang out, "McGonagall! Where are you?"

After a few seconds, he could hear someone moving around above him and decided he would make himself at home in one of the chairs. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, she appeared, her hair a mess and wearing that same stupid robe she'd had since before he'd been at Hogwarts.

"Mr. Malfoy! May I inquire what may be so important that you have to disturb me in the middle of the night?"

His face turned more smug, if that was even possible, "I received an owl earlier this evening with a letter saying that my brother is in the Hospital Wing with major injuries to the head and remnants of very powerful magic. However, the letter failed to explain how he came across such injuries and my mother and I would like answers."

As she began to relate the night's events to him, he messed with the papers on her desk. One in particular caught his attention. It held the names of Potter's mudblood friend and the youngest Weasley child. It took only moments for him to realize that it was the list of staff. So the Mudblood and female Weasley were professors at Hogwarts? Well he couldn't have _that_!

"I think you should reevaluate your choice of staff. There are some on it that are less than desirable," he said interrupting the story that he had not even been listening to.

McGonagall was not pleased, "Mr. Malfoy, my choice in staff is not any of your concern."

"It is my concern if my brother is being taught by that _Mudblood_ and her muggle-loving _Weasley_ friend!"

McGonagall's jaw dropped, "That is it! If you insist on insulting my choices in staff, then I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave…now!"

Malfoy answered with a simple, annoyed, "Fine."

As the days passed, Madam Pomphrey's worry grew. The boy in her care had not seemed to improve at all. In fact, it appeared that he had grown worse with the time. She contacted her Headmistress to request permission to transfer the boy to St. Mungo's. She felt as if there was nothing more she could do for the boy. Headmistress McGonagall agreed. Madam Pomphrey had hoped that the transfer would ease her worry, but it did not. The Headmistress had voiced her concern that the boy might die, in which case the girl, Lauran, could be tried by the Wizengamot for charges of murder and maybe even for being a Death Eater. Her concern soon became an epidemic and the entire staff was now worried for the girl's and the boy's fate.

***

The Slytherin boy raced against time. He was expected soon and if he didn't show up in time, he would be severely punished. He had information that was needed by their leader. Though the Dark Lord was dead, the Death Eaters would rise again. But they would need help. Most of the original members were dead or in Azkaban, but that didn't matter. They had someone who knew the ropes, whose father was an original. He would lead them to greatness. And with the knowledge that the Slytherin boy held, they would be undefeatable.

He entered the room and his Master greeted him with a snarl, "You're late!"

The boy cowered, "I am sorry, my Lord."

"Nonetheless, you hold knowledge that is very important. Please…do share."

The boy began, "Vladmir was injured at the hands of a mudblood named Lauran Courtinger. She knows magic that does not require a wand or a spell to be spoken. She also is a Parselmouth…"

"Interesting. Very interesting. I want this power of hers in our possession. So…Tell me, when will be the next best opportunity to attack Hogwarts?"


	8. Pandemonium

**Author's Note:** Well, here we have a longer chapter. (Finally!) It has two original spells in here, translations will be found at the bottom. REVIEWS ARE WELCOME!

**

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****Chapter Seven:**

"_Pandemonium"_

Hermione was sleeping again, dreaming of peace. _At last she was happy. It was an amazing feeling to be carefree and joyous. She was content. She had the love of her life, the daughter she'd lost and another precious bundle soon to come into her life. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Except…_was that the sound of an explosion? Still tired, Hermione tried to go back to sleep, blowing the mystery noise off; but it appeared that someone had other plans for her.

"Hermione! Damn it, Hermione! Wake up! Oh, fine! I guess I'll just let the Death Eaters get you, then!"

Hermione looked up, glaring, to find her best friend standing at the foot of her bed. When Ginny saw that Hermione was awake she threw the brainy witch's wand at her and told her to hurry up. Hermione hurried out of bed, though still oblivious to the situation unfolding at Hogwarts. Running out the door, following Ginny, she asked what was happening.

Running faster, Ginny answered, "I always knew I hated Draco Malfoy. He's launching an attack on Hogwarts, for what…only Merlin knows. He's heading for the Slytherin common rooms, but what we don't understand is why he would want to attack his own house."

Hermione stopped in mid-step, the fleeting memory of something said previously running through her mind. _"How was she able to do it? How could a young witch of the mere age of eleven cause something that most adult wizards and witches are never able to do in their entire lifetime?!"_

Grabbing hold of Ginny, she spun the red-head around, "Lauran! He wants Lauran! He must have found out about her powers, about what she can do!"

Ginny had a baffled look on her face, a sure sign that she hadn't registered what that meant. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. Hermione could see her mouth the words, '_Merlin's Beard!_' With newfound motivation, the two witches sped off in the direction of the dungeons. Finally making it to the staircases and landing abruptly on one, the two were taken back by an unexpected surprise. It appeared that both witches forgot that the staircases liked to changed.

"Oh, what rotten luck!"

Hermione gave an exasperated sigh, "You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

Suddenly a blast of green light shot straight past Hermione and hit the marble steps behind her, causing a small crater and a black spot to appear on them. Looking up, swearing, she saw Malfoy's girlfriend from years ago, whose name escaped Hermione at the moment. The girl was laughing hysterically in a manner much like a hyena. Glancing towards Ginny, who nodded, both witches yelled in sync with one another, "_Expelliarmus!_"

The girl appeared stunned that she had been so easily disarmed, so Hermione, proudly, remedied the situation, "_Petrificus Totalus!_"

Seemingly proud with one another, both witches continued on their quest to the Slytherin common rooms. Along the way, they ran into no more trouble, except for, of course, Peeves. Their path was eerie. As they ran they saw no one, they heard no one. It was almost as if they were totally cut off from the world…until they reached the dungeons. Screams and shouts filled their ears as they pressed on. Briefly, they heard words that sounded frightfully close to, "_Crucio._" Finally, they reached the Slytherin common rooms, with a familiar rush filling the two. They were forced to stop at the secret entrance to the common rooms. Standing in front of the hidden stone door, neither one could remember the password that they'd been given at the last professor meeting. Suddenly, a muffled cry behind them caught their attention.

"Filthy mudblood," they heard someone whisper, right before a loud blow. Another cry sounded, confirming their unspoken theories that someone had been hit. Swiftly, they turned around, their eyes searching for the source of the noise. Hermione gasped at the sight before them. There stood Draco Malfoy and his last surviving minion, Goyle. Flung over Goyle's back was the small, frail body of Lauran.

Hermione roared out her wrath, "What did you do to her?! What do you want with her?"

Malfoy sneered his trademark sneer, "Like I would actually tell you," and then he mumbled something that greatly resembled, "Mudblood."

With that, he touched the evil symbol on his arm. Hermione watched it turn blacker than it had been and she couldn't help but let out a gasp, to which he smirked. Without warning, Malfoy and Goyle ran off, Hermione and Ginny at their tail. Running up the stairs to get to the main level, the two witches yelled out spells left and right, attempting to save the girl who was being kidnapped; their favorite of the spells appearing to be, "_Impedimenta_," and, "_Locomotor Mortis_." Unfortunately, it appeared that Malfoy and his minion had become very accomplished in deflecting simple curses and charms and all Hermione and Ginny succeeded in was making them angry. As a result, Goyle turned to face the two and shouted, "_Crucio_!" Immediately, Ginny sank to the floor and started screaming, but the fire in her soul never went out. The entire time the curse was active she was yelling words similar to, "You think this will stop me! Guess again!"

Suddenly, she shocked everyone in the vicinity by jumping up, despite the torturous pain and hit him with a wave of spells, seemingly every single one she'd ever learned, "_Confundus_! _Conjunctivitis_! _Expelliarmus_! _Flipendo_! _Furnunculus_! _Rictusempra_! And my personal favorite: _Tarantallegra_!"

The result was quite different from her intentions, though humorous. Goyle fell to the floor with a confused gaze and his eyes appeared blind. His face and hands were covered in disgusting boils and he was laughing, as if someone was tickling him. His legs were kicking in an almost dance-like manner. Hermione and Ginny couldn't help but laugh. Suddenly, a voice sounded behind the two.

"You're so pathetic, you big ugly brute! _Stupefy_!"

With that said, Ron came forward to stand over the unconscious body of Goyle. Noticing Hermione and Ginny's surprised faces, he asked, "What? Somebody had to do it."

Instead of a response, Hermione gasped and took off after Malfoy, whom had taken advantage of their distraction. Ginny and Ron followed and the chase was on. The trio chased Malfoy all the way out of the gates of Hogwarts and down the darkened pathway that lead to Hogsmeade. Unfortunately, the battle was lost the very second Malfoy stepped foot into Hogsmeade, where he Disapparated to…only Merlin knew. Hermione, Ginny and Ron let an exasperated sigh, followed by an extremity of choice words.

***

The air was bitterly cold, there was not a source of heat to the room. The stone floor was hard and damp; all around her was pitch black. She stirred, attempting to muster up all energy she held within her body and it was then that she realized just how weak she was. _How long have I been out? How many hours have I been left to lie here? Has it even been hours? It could have been only minutes. But what if it has been days…or weeks? No. It can't have been days…I'd be more weak…and hungry! Ugh!_ Her mind hurt. It appeared that even the simplest of acts would harm her.

She heard voices and struggled to make out what they were saying, but, with rotten luck, she could not. Interrupting her concentration, a door opened and bright, ferocious light forced its was into the room. Blinking, her eyes adjusted to the light and she could see the outlined figures of no less than three men. They approached her, and as they did, the smell of Firewhisky became more and more apparent. One in particular walked up to her, his step swaying a bit.

"Well, hello little girl."

She made no answer, her heart pounding faster than she ever thought imaginable.

"Little girl! Answer me."

She jumped at the raising of his voice, but still did not answer.

"Fine then. Have it your way," he began to walk away from her, then suddenly, "_Imperio_!"

She felt the weight of the curse, felt the insistent urge to obey and though she may have tried, she could not fight down the urge, "Hello."

"Very good. So tell me…how did you become so powerful, even though you are a Mudblood?"

Her heart and will was strong and again, she refused to answer. Obviously, furious at her disobedience, he roared out, "_Imperio_!"

Once again, she felt the same weight of the curse and the same urge to obey, and was once more forced to answer, "I don't know."

The man sighed, "Very well…_Crucio_!"

Pain erupted throughout her entire body, it felt as if her very bones were on fire. She tried with all her might not to scream, but the pain only got worse and worse until, finally, the dam of crying broke. At the sound of her scream, the men laughed; one even hiccupped. Finally, after what seemed like hours, it stopped. Two of the men were still laughing, however, the man who had cast the curse was not. He was walking closer towards her, still swaying in his step and the closer he came the more apparent the stench of Firewhisky became. Silently screaming in her mind, she hoped his intentions were not the perverse actions she feared.

***

Hermione paced her office, suddenly furious at how small it became with each step. Three pairs of eyes followed her, focused on the pendulum of her movements. The silence was torture, leaving her ever-the-traitor mind to its thoughts. She did not want to think the thoughts that seemed to be inevitable, even if everyone at the school was thinking them. Her heart raced with terror of what could be happening to Lauran. For all she knew, the girl could be dead. In attempt to distract herself from the torturous silence, she began to focus on how many steps she was taking, unconsciously aware that each step she took counted the seconds passing by and only shortened the time Lauran possibly had. _One step…two step…three step…fou_--

"We have to do something," Ginny said for, what was likely, the millionth time that night.

Hermione stopped her step and turned to face the eyes staring at her, "Like what? We don't know where she is, much less how to get there!"

Ron and Ginny stayed silent, however, it was Harry, who, in the midst of Quidditch Season, flew in at the news of an emergency, that spoke, "Hermione…have you forgotten what we have done? We defeated Voldemort! And at the age of seventeen! Not to mention, you are the brightest witch of our age!"

Hermione flung her arms out, sighed and began to pace again, "But we don't know where she is! How are we supposed to save her if we don't even know where to go?!"

The room was silent for a few moments, until Ron spoke up, "Well…Malfoy took her. Maybe he took her to Malfoy Manor?"

Hermione, once again, sighed, "Honestly, Ronald, if you were to kidnap someone, you wouldn't want to be found. Why, in Merlin's Beard, would Malfoy take her to the one place _everyone_ would know to look?"

"Because he never was brightest wizard in a tight situation," Ginny said, then mumbled under her breathe, "Right foul, git he was though."

Harry jumped up, most likely high off of the adrenaline from the prospect of a good duel or two, "So then its settled, we're going to Malfoy Manor to save Lauran."

Hermione stopped her pace and put on a very shrill tone, "And when was this decided?"

Harry walked up to her and put his arm around her in a brotherly embrace, "Oh come on, Hermione, we _have_ to save her…she _is_ your daughter, after all."

She shot glares at him, "We don't even know for sure! Maybe all the connections between me and her are just coincidences…hmm? Any of you think of that?"

Ginny sighed, "Hermione, there's too many _coincidences_ to not believe it. Anyway, if we don't save her, then we'll never know. Let's just go and save her so you can cast the spell to prove us wrong."

Hermione let off a little, '_hmph_' and said, "Fine."

***

After casting a Disillusion spell on themselves, the four made their way out of Hermione's office and into the quiet and vacant halls of Hogwarts. After the attack, all of the students had been moved into the Great Hall, as a precaution, and some were to be taken home in the morning by parents struck by paranoia. The staff members were either patrolling the corridors or sleeping off their shift of patrolling. At the main door of the castle, they ran into Filch's cat who hissed at the prospect of an intruder in the castle. With quiet feet, they ran out the door and down the pathway to Hogsmeade. Once at the Appartation point, Hermione disillusioned herself to make sure everyone was there and ready for what was next to come. After some reassurance, she recast the Disillusion spell and Apparated in a little field not far from Malfoy Manor. Revealing herself, she motioned for Harry, Ron and Ginny to do the same; they obliged.

"_Ostendo Me Ad Amicis_," Hermione whispered, wand pointing to herself. Instantly, she felt as if she was being covered by Harry's Invisibility Cloak. It appeared as if her friends could still see her. A wave of triumph covered her, it was the first time she'd successfully cast that spell. The purpose of the spell was to, again, disillusion oneself, but to stay revealed to one's friends.

"Cast the spell," she ordered.

Ginny seemed unsure, "Hermione, that's a really complicated spell. How do we know if it really worked? We're your friends, either way we'll see you."

Suddenly a frog croaked out, announcing its appearance. Ron smiled and pointed his wand at it and whispered, "_Petrificus Totalus._"

The frog attempted to leap away, but was struck in the air. Ron caught him, or her, before he hit the ground. Handing him to Hermione, Ron said, "Cast the spell."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his reasoning, "_Ostendo Me Ad Amicis._"

The frog disappeared in her hand, while she could still feel the weight. Slowly lowering it to the ground, she said, "_Finite Incantatum._"

The frog reappeared and hopped swiftly away.

Hermione smiled, obviously smug at her triumph, "Well…go on, cast the spell."

Ron and Harry did so, but Ginny didn't look so sure, "But how will we know it worked?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Just trust me, you'll know."

Ginny sighed, "_Ostendo Me Ad Amicis_."

Now that they could see her, Hermione motioned for them to keep quiet and make their way to the massive estate to the west a little ways. While walking, they had their eyes peeled for any sign of danger. To their luck, they encountered nothing that would bring them to harm. Finally, they reached the main doors of the mansion. Ron began to go in, but Hermione grabbed his shirt collar and shook her head no, pointing to the servants' entrance. He shrugged his shoulders, attempting to hide the look of shame on his face. Hermione could not help but sympathize him; it had been a long time since any of them had had to do this.

Once inside, via the servants' entrance, the four began searching for a door that might lead to a dungeon. _They would keep her in a dungeon, right?_ Hermione thought to herself. Finally they found a staircase that lead to what would appear to be a heavy, medieval style metal door. The four walked slightly faster and, before anyone could stop her, Ginny reached for the door handle. As soon as she made contact, she was thrown back into a wall with a loud thud, no doubt knocking her unconscious, and you could almost see the spell coming off of her. In the distance they heard someone shout and footsteps come running in their direction. Recasting the Disillusionment spell on her, Harry picked her up. Ron took hold of her now fragile hand and gave it a squeeze, whispering, "You'll be ok, Ginny."

Harry and Ron began to make their way up the stairs, obviously retreating, but Hermione made no movement. Ron turned around and whispered, "Come on!" But she still made no effort to move. He told her again and this time she shook her head.

"Hermione, let's go!"

Hermione was almost ready to cry, "I can't! What if she _is_ my daughter? You want me to condemn her, then?"

"You're only condemning yourself by not leaving! Come on!"

She shook her head, "No, Ron. If I'm not back soon, I guess you'll just have to rescue us both, then."

Finally, Harry spoke up, "Hermione! You can't save her if you get yourself killed! And they _will_ kill you!"

"No! Harry, Ron, get Ginny out of here! That way, if something does happen, you can save Lauran and I!"

Harry and Ron looked at one another. After a moment, they both nodded. "We'll come back as soon as we can and help as much as we can," Harry promised before they both left.

As soon as they rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, Malfoy himself came thumping down the stairs. Hermione stood still, her heart beating so fast it was difficult to breathe. Malfoy looked around with a look of rage consuming his face. With a quick flick of his wrist, he waved his readied wand, checking the wards. _Surely, he'll see that I'm here and he'll kill me,_ Hermione kept thinking to herself. When he finished checking the wards, his face grew darker than it had been and he cursed under his breath. _Has he seen me?_ she thought, _Or does he see the remnants of Ginny touching the door?_

Suddenly, his angry voice spoke, "Where are you?"

Hermione reached to ready her wand, but did not say a word.

"I know you're here! Answer me!"

Again she did not answer.

"Fine…have it your way, then. _Ostendo!_"

Unexpectedly, Hermione felt as if an Invisibility Cloak was being ripped off of her. She tried to deflect the spell with no success. His eyes shot daggers through her.

"So, Potter's filthy Mudblood friend has come to rescue a fellow Mudblood. But what have we here? Alone? How foolish of you!"

He raised his wand to attack, but Hermione was faster, "_Impedimenta!_"

Though his movements were slowed, he managed to fire a '_Crucio_' at Hermione. Immediately, she felt as if her bones were on fire. Try as she might, she could not deflect the spell and send it back to him. It appeared he had grown quite powerful since the final battle at Hogwarts. Finally, the feeling vanished and she was able to stand again. _Funny, I hadn't even realized I was on the floor_, she thought to herself. He was laughing as she slowly brought herself to a standing position, feigning cripple. In all reality, she was plotting what spell to hit him with. Then an idea struck her. _It could be potentially problematic, but it's worth a try_, she was thinking to herself as she finalized her standing position.

"_Conjunctivitis!_"

While he was preoccupied with the boils emerging all over his body, Hermione took the opportune moment to hit him with a very powerful, "_Stupefy_!"

Without the grace he so desperately feigned in every movement, he hit the ground. Hermione spun around to the dungeon door. Without touching it with anything, Hermione waved her wand over it mumbling an extremely complicated spell to see which wards were upon it. She was able to pick out three but was oblivious of the others. _No doubt, they are Dark Magic_, she thought as she heard the footsteps. She spun around in enough time to see a flash of red light hit her square in the chest and then everything was black.

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**Final Note:** _Ostendo Me Ad Amicis_ literally translated means: Reveal me to friends...or at least that's what it is supposed to mean.

_Ostendo_ just simply means: Reveal.

I hope you liked this chapter! REVIEWS ARE WELCOME!


	9. Truths

**Author's Note:** Many, many apologies for how long it took for me to get this chapter up! I've been quite busy lately, but on a brighter note: I have about a quarter of the story left to edit and then I will only have to find time to post them! Just the other day, I realized that I have already posted half of the story. I really wish _Forgotten Memories_ was longer. But my next fic, which you can find information about on my website, is 34 chapters long, including a prologue and epilogue.

**TO GET TO MY WEBSITE, GO TO MY PROFILE AND CLICK ON HOMEPAGE. THERE, YOU WILL FIND EXTRA INFORMATION ON EVERY STORY THAT IS POSTED, AND YET TO BE POSTED, ON FANFICTION.**

**!REVIEWS ARE WELCOME AND GREATLY APPRECIATED!**

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Chapter Eight:

"_Truths_"

Three months later…

Hermione sat on the floor humming to herself a song that her mother used to sing her when she was little and when she would cry herself to sleep over the loss of her child. Sighing to herself, she looked over to where Lauran lay. The last few months, she'd done some thinking. _Could it be possible that she is my daughter? Could it be possible that Ron and Ginny were right? No! Don't think about them! They left you here to die! They never came back like Harry promised!_ Lauran sat up and yawned while stretching. Hermione couldn't help but laugh. The girl was exactly like her. Struggling to pull herself to her feet, Hermione walked over to her, almost dreading the conversation to come.

Lauran looked questioningly up at her, "What?"

Hermione sighed, "Can I try a spell on you?"

"What spell?"

Hermione looked away, almost ashamed to go on, "Well…you know how you said you were adopted and you've never met your real mum?"

"Yeah…"

Hermione sighed again, "I know a way you can find out who she is, that way when we get out of here we can go find her."

Lauran almost smiled, "I'd love that."

Hermione smiled back, they'd grown quite close in the time they'd spent together being locked in this dungeon; Hermione was almost motherly to the girl.

Lauran got a pensive look on her face, "I still can't believe they let you keep your wand."

Hermione chuckled, the girl was ever the thoughtful one, "I think it's because they know that I don't know the magic required to get out of here."

Lauran almost laughed out loud, "That's a first."

Hermione smiled, "Ready? Stand up."

Lauran did so and Hermione pointed her wand at the girl and said, "_Expertus Maternitatis_."

Suddenly, Hermione's wand pointed towards a wall and a picture erupted out of it. Hermione gasped, while Lauran appeared transfixed, apparently oblivious to what the picture meant.

"She looks just like me," she said, "Only her hair is more bushy than mine. She looks so young, but of course I knew she was young. Even still…"

Hermione stepped forward to where the girl was now standing, "Lauran…do you know what this means?"

"That my mother is the girl in the picture? But I don't see how this helps…we didn't get a name."

Hermione sighed, "We don't need one. I have that picture. I look at it sadly every night. Lauran, the girl in the picture is me."

Lauran looked stunned, "Wait! You have a daughter?! _I'm_ your daughter? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I didn't even know."

Lauran glared, "Why didn't you ever try to contact me?"

"I would have, had I known where to write! Where to go! Don't think I never wanted you; I wanted and loved you with all my heart! And even now, I still love you! You are my daughter, why would I not?!"

Lauran's face softened, "So this is it? All these months, from when I got my letter from Hogwarts until now, I've been wondering who my birth mother could be and she was right in front of me all along? She was you?"

"And after all these years, I've been hoping of meeting my daughter and here you are?"

Lauran ran up to Hermione and hugged her close. Hermione was shocked for a moment, but wrapped her arms around the now sobbing girl and allowed the dam of emotions building in her to break. It did not take long for both to be on the floor crying in each others arms.

***

Lauran was sleeping in her mother's arms. It was such a surreal feeling to be this content. Despite that they were locked in a dungeon because of her _abilities_, she felt this was the happiest she had ever been. Her whole life, she'd just known that she had not belonged with the family who had claimed her. She was to different from them, not just in physical aspects but in personality as well. They loved the things she hated and vise versa. And then, the older she became, the more weird things began to happen around her. She recalled that their troubled faces had made little sense to her, she was enthused that she could do things that were not normal…she'd never wanted to be normal. Now she realized, they'd known she was a witch all along and they did not approve of it. And now she had a mother who understood her, who was just like her. It was strange and yet she would never complain; just so long as someone loved her.

A thunderous bang sounded in the distance, followed by loud shouts. Lauran jumped at the unexpected noises, causing Hermione to wake. Another bang sounded and Hermione's face became puzzled. Voices rang out in the night, some very clearly saying, "Kill them!" Maternal instinct making full appearance, she told Lauran to get behind her. When the girl complained, she grabbed her shoulders and softly put her against a wall and stood in front of her. There stood Hermione, wand at the ready, numerous spells and curses running throughout her mind. The door swung open, obviously forced. Hermione backed up closer to her daughter. A small, quiet chuckle could be heard throughout the cell. Hermione smiled with recognition.

"Well, now dear. No need to be so uptight, it's just me."

Hermione threw herself into the woman's arms, "Molly!"

"Hermione, dear, have you become a little pudgy?"

Hermione sighed, "I'll explain that later. For now, let's get out of here, shall we?"

Molly quickly smiled, but then her smile fell, "Where's the girl? Lauran? Oh dear, she's not…"

Hermione couldn't help but gasp, "Oh no! She's just fine, right behind me. Lauran, love, it's safe to come out now."

Lauran stepped out from behind her mother and into the light of the open door. Molly nearly gasped and jumped at the appearance of the girl.

"Well, we'll just have get you clean and well fed. You're all skin and bones! Come on. Out the door. It's fine dear, Arthur's just outside. Go on," Molly was telling Lauran. When Lauran was out of earshot, she asked Hermione, "Hermione, dear, she's not your--"

Hermione smiled knowingly, "My daughter? Yes, she is. We found out just last night, thanks to the '_Expertus Maternitatis_' spell."

Molly looked as if she might burst from excitement, "Well, then, I guess we'll just have to have a little party to celebrate."

With that, she led Hermione out into the hallway with the stairs. Sure enough, Arthur was waiting just outside the door, only now he was accompanied by Lauran. Hermione also saw about half of the Order of Phoenix, which made her smile. And there stood Ron, smiling at her. She ran up to him and gave him a big hug.

He laughed, "We promised we'd come back for you. We're just sorry it took so long. We had to get the OK from the Ministry. And you know how difficult they like to be."

He was no longer smiling and Hermione searched for the reason why. He was staring at her now pudgy stomach. Her smile fell too as she whispered in his ear, "I'll explain that later."

He simply nodded and tried to smile, "Let's get you out of here."

When they finally made it out of the large estate, Hermione saw Harry and Ginny, who both ran up to her and hugged her at the same time. Both, of course, eyed her stomach suspiciously, but she just said she'd tell them all later. Finally, they made it to the field where they could Apparate from. Hermione was smiling at the thought of getting out of that place and going back to teach at Hogwarts, when she was forced to sink to the ground in blinding pain. She clutched at her womb, where her unborn child was and cried. For the second time in her life, she was loosing a child she'd only had for a short amount of time.

***

Hermione awoke in a bed at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries feeling quite ill. She opened her eyes to see Ron asleep in a chair beside her bed, which made her smile. Trying to sit up, she made quite a lot of noise and was silently cursing herself when his eyes popped open. He smiled at her.

"You're awake."

Hermione yawned, "What happened?"

"You had a miscarriage," his eyes looked fairly hurt, "Why didn't you tell us you were pregnant?"

"I lost the baby?"

"I'm sorry," and then he grabbed a quill and some parchment, "I'm sure you'd like to write to the father and explain what happened."

Hermione was shocked, "You think I slept with someone and got pregnant? Ronald Weasley, you know me better than that!"

"You mean you're not seeing anyone?"

"No Ronald! One of the Death Eaters raped me," she shuddered at the memory, "Honestly, Ronald, give me some credit."

"I'm sorry. It's just--"

She raised an eyebrow, "It's just what?"

At that time a Healer came into the room and said that visiting hours were over. Ron left sulking and Hermione rolled over in her bed feeling quite annoyed.

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**Author's Note:** _Expertus Maternitatis_ means "Mother Test," I believe. Hopefully, I will get chapter nine up tomorrow but we will just have to see how things go.


	10. Unexpected Battles

**Author's Note:** Here it is, as promised!

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****Chapter Nine:**

"_Unexpected Battles_"

A month after she was released from St. Mungo's, Hermione returned to Hogwarts to teach. It appeared that she was greatly missed by her students, for when she, rather than the substitute who'd been teaching in her place, walked in through the door, the entire class ran up to her with open arms. Hermione smiled and sighed to herself. Life just could not get any better.

"So you've already finished _Wingardium Leviosa_? And _Expelliarmus_? How about _Alohamora_?"

The class answered with a silent no, to which Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"Well…The _Alohamora_ charm will unlock simple locks, however locks that are locked magically require a much more complex spell; magic way advanced for a first year. In fact, it is not taught at Hogwarts until the very end of your seventh year and generally the only students to master the spell are those who are the best in their class."

The lecture on the _Alohamora_ charm continued on until the last thirty minutes of class, at which time the students, who had remained enthralled in the lecture, to Hermione's pleasant surprise, began to practice the charm on small locked chests, rather than locked doors; they would move on to that in the next lesson. Lauran, of course, was the first to unlock her chest, wherein she found a gorgeous, antique locket that was adorned in a pattern of diamond cut emeralds surrounded by pearls. It was so picturesque that she couldn't help but gasp at its beauty. It was no doubt a family heirloom, but what was such an artifact doing in her chest? _I'll have to ask my _mum_ about it after class_, she thought to herself, not able to take her eyes off of the heirloom. True to her words, she stayed in her seat until every student had left through the door. Hermione glanced at her questioningly as she walked towards the girl.

Reaching the girl's seat and with an almost knowing smirk, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

Lauran almost laughed, "In my chest I found an antique. I was thinking it was put in here by accident."

"Well let me see it," Hermione softly ordered and when the girl put the locket in her hands said, "Well, this is surely an antique, no doubt from about 1880. If I am correct, it was worn by one Elizabeth Scott. It's quite beautiful, don't you think?"

Lauran was confused, "Yes, but what was it doing in my chest?"

Hermione only laughed, "Well, it's a family heirloom, of course! Surely, you guessed that?"

Comprehension dawned on the girl's face, "You mean to say, this is yours?"

Hermione smiled at her daughter, "Indeed, it is. It has been in my family for one hundred and twenty-three years. And now it is yours. I want you to keep it with you always, that way, when you go back to your adoptive family, you will remember me," there were tears in Hermione's eyes now, but she blinked them away for the sake of her daughter.

Lauran looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes and requested, "I don't want to go back to them, I don't belong there. I belong here, with you! Please let me live with you; I've only had you for such short time, please let me have forever!"

Hermione couldn't help but allow her tears to fall down her cheeks, "Oh, dear, I'm sure your family there loves you. They would miss you, if I were to get custody back."

"Yeah, they would miss me alright," Lauran said sarcastically, "They would miss being able to shun me, and yell at me whenever I slip and do magic, even though I don't realize what I'm doing."

Hermione was stunned, "They did what?! Are you sure this is the same family that I met with to arrange your adoption? They both seemed so nice and down-to-earth…oh Merlin, what have I done?"

"Mum! I'm fine, we're here now…together. Everything will be alright."

Hermione smiled, "Yes, it will. But we're doing this the legal way, so it may take a while, depending on the Ministry and just how well my connections turn out to be. That lot just cannot make up their minds on the pace they have."

Lauran sighed and smiled, but obviously wanted something else, "Mum? Can I ask something else?"

"Yes, dear, anything."

Lauran sighed once again and braced herself, "Who is my father?"

Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin at the question, "Why don't we wait on that one, love?"

Lauran glared, "You don't know, do you?"

"No, I know and that is precisely why I want you to wait."

***

Hermione knocked on the door once again, pulling her jacket close around her; for March it was fairly cold. _What, in the name of Merlin, can these people be doing?_ she thought, as she checked her watch to be sure it was not a late hour, _Four-thirty…definitely not to late._ Fidgeting in her stance, the door opened to reveal the woman she'd met eleven years ago. Her features had not changed, though her hair had grayed a bit.

The woman answered, "Can I help you with something, Miss…?"

Hermione took a deep breath and said, "Granger, Mrs. Courtinger, Hermione Granger. Perhaps you remember me as a young girl in unfortunate circumstances?"

Hermione nearly laughed as she watched the woman's jaw drop, just before the woman said, "Am I to presume you are here to see your daughter? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, she is at that--excuse me, I mean _your school_."

Hermione smiled, "Yes, I am aware of that. Actually, Mrs. Courtinger, I was wondering if I might come in for a moment to talk? Is your husband here?"

Mrs. Courtinger tensed, "Yes, of course, how rude of me. You may come in. My husband, however, is not here. He is on a business meeting in London. I trust that will not affect your reasoning for being_ here_?"

"No ma'am, it will not," Hermione said, trying so hard not to laugh at the woman's obvious discomfort with her presence, while following her into what appeared to be a sitting room, "Forgive me, I feel as if I am intruding."

"No, do not feel as such, Miss Granger. I'm sure you have a perfectly plausible explanation for being here."

"Uhm, yes. I was wondering if I could--if it would be possible--if maybe I would be able re-obtain custody of my daughter," Hermione said, struggling to get the wording right, _Oh Merlin! It had been so easy in my mind!_

The woman's face began to redden, "Right! And what makes you think she'd actually want you to have custody of her? You've never come looking for her for all of eleven years! Think of that, Miss Granger!"

"Actually, _Mrs. Courtinger_," Hermione said using the very same tone the woman had just used on her, "I do not _think_ that she'd want me to have custody of her, I know for a fact!"

"And how would you know such a thing?"

Hermione smiled in anticipation of the woman's reaction and spoke very calmly, "I would know, because she asked me."

The woman gave a shrill and exasperated gasp, "Well! You can tell Lauran that when she gets home, she is not to leave this house again! EVER! Not even to go to that underdeveloped site your kind has the nerve to call a school! Nor will she be leaving to go live with her meddlesome, irresponsible birth-mother! And that is final!"

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see what the Ministry of Magic thinks of it then, won't we Mrs. Courtinger," Hermione's smile widened, "May I suggest that you be expecting an owl from the Ministry soon regarding a Hearing for custody over Lauran?"

Hermione got up and went to the door, "Good day, Mrs. Courtinger."

With that said, Hermione left to Apparate to the Ministry of Magic, where she set up the aforementioned Hearing. Due to Hermione having connections through Arthur Weasley, who had now traveled high up in the ranks at the Ministry, so far as to create a new department, the Hearing was set for Wednesday the following week, which gave Lauran and Hermione ten days to prepare their cause. _Oh, how I wish I could see that wretched woman's face when she receives the owl notifying her_, Hermione thought quite smugly as she returned to Hogwarts.

Hermione nearly jumped at the sound of someone calling her name, but was relieved to hear it was Ron. _Good…I need to have a word with him_, she thought to herself, recalling their last conversation together.

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**Author's Note:** If you would like to see the locket that I modeled Lauran's heirloom after, go to the link below (just take out the spaces.)

http : / / www . heritagejewellery . co . uk / Lockets / Lockets % 201 / antique % 20gold % 20emerald % 20pearl % 20pomander % 20locket % 20 + chain % 20 ( 3584 ) % 203 . jpg


	11. The Hearing

**Author's Note:** A part of this chapter becomes a little mature, so for safety I am going to say: "Viewer disgression is advised"

Reviews are welcome.

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**Chapter Ten:**

"_The Hearing_"

Hermione rummaged through her trunk, desperate to find a decent outfit. _Merlin, I can't ever remember being this nervous in all my life!_ she was thinking as she turned down a lime-green sundress with white flowers. If she didn't hurry up and find something soon, she was just going to call the whole thing off. Sure, she liked him; but if she couldn't find something presentable to wear, there was no use in going. Her heart did another little flutter as she thought of their conversation the previous week.

"_Hermione?" _

_Hermione nearly jumped at the sound of someone calling her name, but was relieved to hear it was Ron. _Good…I need to have a word with him_, she thought to herself, recalling their last conversation together._

"_Ron? Is that you?" _

_He chuckled and answered with great sarcasm, "No, it's Ginny. Bloody Hell, Hermione, you'd think that after eleven years of friendship, you'd recognize my voice. And I thought you were the brightest witch of our age…I guess that's why I'm not the brightest wizard."_

_She punched his arm playfully, "Oh, come on, you big git. You know very well that I knew it was you." _

"_Yeah."_

_There it was again, the tone in his voice reflecting that there was something he wanted to say to her, but felt he couldn't. Would he ever trust her? _

"_What is it, Ron?" _

_He sighed, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."_

_Hermione was hurt, "Ronald Weasley! All those times you've put your life in my hands and you won't trust me with whatever it is that is bothering you?"_

_He tensed._

_She let out an exasperated sigh, but tried to release the tension building between the two with a joking tone, "Ron, it's okay. You can trust me. Besides, if you don't tell me, I'm going to think you've killed someone."_

_His amber eyes darted up to her face and widened, but a slight smile grew on his lips, "Say you know this girl and you've fancied her for ages, but you don't know if she fancies you and now you're in a rub because you want to take her out but you don't know if she'd go."_

_Hermione laughed, "Is that it, then? You fancy a girl? Well, then, just take her out like you want to. Any girl would have to be off her rocker to not see what a catch you are."_

_Ron looked nervous and his ears were going red, "Right, I was thinking about taking her for a picnic on a beach in the Western Isles, but I'm afraid she'll say no."_

_Hermione smiled and began to walk away, "Trust me, with an offer like that…she can't say no."_

_He shuffled his feet, "So, next Tuesday then?"_

_Hermione was confused and stopped to turn to face him again, "Pardon? Next Tuesday?"_

_His ears reddened even more, if possible, "Do you want to go? Western Isles? Next Tuesday?"_

_Hermione blushed to realize he'd been talking about her, "Oh, Ron."_

_He looked down at his feet, "So that's a no, then?"_

"_No. Tuesday it is," she smiled and finished before waltzing away, "Pick me up in my office around nine."_

_Thank Merlin that Tuesday students would be out of school!_

It was now ten minutes to nine and she had nothing to wear. Glancing at her bed, where her bathing suit lay, she sighed. If she couldn't find something soon, she'd have to go in just that. She laughed at the thought of his reaction. They weren't ready to get intimate yet, but he was, after all, a man and would have quite an amusing reaction to that sight if unprepared. Looking all around her room, she groaned at the mess she'd made. A shirt caught her eye; it wasn't much but was perfect for an outing. It was light sky-blue and had sleeves that hung just off her shoulders. A pair of jeans and a belt was all that she needed. She dressed hastily, afterwards putting on light make up and putting her hair up so it would be off her neck; though, it was not all that warm. Just as she finished slipping on her shoes, there was a knock at the door. She opened the door and there Ron stood, dressed in a white shirt with sleeves down to his forearms and light blue jeans that were faded on the thigh.

"Are you ready?"

She smiled, "I just need to get my bathing suit…or should I not bring it?"

"I brought mine, it's in my bag. You can put yours in there, if you'd like?"

"Thanks, just let me go get it," she replied as she shut the door and grabbed her bathing suit.

When she returned, he'd already opened his bag to allow her to put her bathing suit in. Then, he grabbed her hand and led her through the halls of Hogwarts, out of the castle and to Apparation point in Hogsmeade. Wrapping her in his arms, he preformed a side-along Apparation. They appeared in a neat, little cottage comprised of one room, excluding the bathroom. It held a small kitchen with dining, living and sleeping areas. Though it was small, it had a very homely feel to it and Hermione's tension eased a bit. On the table in the dining area was a bottle of wine settled on top of a piece of paper that upon later inspection read: _Have a great time. Love, Molly._ Ron smiled, his ears slightly red as he read the note aloud. _Molly?_ Hermione thought, _Molly knew about this?_

"This is Mum and Dad's. They come here when they want to get away for a little while. Mum said we could borrow it for today, so long as we don't turn the place to rubbish," Ron explained, shifting his stance; a nervous habit he'd had for years.

And so the day continued on. They spent time on the beach having a magnificent picnic, listening to the waves crashing serenely against the sand. After they ate, they headed into the ocean for a swim but did not stay long due to the March weather making the water cold. Finally, they retreated back into the cottage for some very welcomed warmth. Though they were now in inviting temperatures, Hermione could not stop herself from trembling. Ron, of course, ever ready for an excuse to have a bit of bubbly, though not a drunk, offered for the two to share some of the wine. Several wine glasses later, the conversation between the two wandered into delicate territory.

Hermione hiccupped, "Tell me something that you have never told anyone before."

With a happy, lopsided smile on his face, Ron sighed, "I'm afraid of spiders."

"Oh, come on, Ron! Everyone knows that!"

He tensed, but nonetheless sarcastically replied, "Ermm…I secretly that pink is a very appealing colour."

Hermione laughed so hard, she could scarcely see through the tears streaming down her face and her fuzzy sight, which, combined with the after effects of the wine, proved to be too much as she tumbled out of her chair and, pulling herself to a standing position, proclaimed, "About time you came out of the closet."

Ron jumped up, ears turning red, and nearly shouted, "I most certainly am not gay!"

Hermione merely laughed, "Well, then…prove it."

Ron smirked seductively and with what seemed to take two heartbeats walked around the table to where Hermione was struggling to stand. He smirked even more just before he leaned down and kissed her. The kiss was exactly what Hermione expected and so much more. It was both sweet and passionate. And when he pulled away to draw a deep breath, he said something that made her want to melt.

"I love you."

He kissed her again, not giving her time to respond. This time the kiss was fierce and possessive, causing Hermione to become much more lightheaded, though she suspected it had nothing to do with the wine. Ron seemed to grow even more bold, twining his fingers in her hair, keeping her face pressed tightly against his. Hermione responded with the same ferocity and boldness. Unexpectedly, his hands traveled lower and before she could register what was happening, he was picking her up and carrying her to the bed…

***

She paced her dorm, her long, brown hair flowing behind. She sighed, attempting to calm her nerves. Glancing at the clothes resting on her bed, she paced closer to the bed. She put on her clothes and headed to her mother's office, and the rest of the morning passed by in a blur. She vaguely remembered her mother, whom she noticed appeared quite cheerful despite the events to come, wrapping her in her arms and smiling. Afterwards, the two walked arm in arm in the direction of Hogsmeade. Through a slide-along Apparation, Lauran and Hermione appeared in the main lobby of the Ministry. It was bustling with beings, wizards and creatures alike, running to and fro. Memos were flying overhead, destined for numerous wizards in numerous places around the Ministry. Lauran's eyes grew large at the extravagance that made up the Ministry; Hermione chuckled a bit at her daughters reaction, remembering her first time to the Ministry. She led her daughter down many sets of stairs until they found themselves face to face with the entrance to one of the chambers used for a department recently created by Arthur Weasley himself. The Department of Wizard and Muggle Cooperation was used to settle disputes between wizards and muggles, and Hermione's custody battle had been directed to this department.

They stood there apprehensive, their minds racing at the possibilities of what was to come. In the end, who would be granted custody? In their hearts, they both knew there was only one way to find out but neither could bring themselves to take the step and the risk of loosing the happiness they had just found.

Finally, gathering the needed courage, the two stepped forward and entered the room. It was much like the Wizengamot chambers, though noticeably smaller. Upon her entrance, Hermione's ears rang with chatter and she instantly distinguished two people she preferred not be there, along with other members from the Department of Wizard and Muggle Cooperation. Rita Skeeter had long since backed out on the _promise_ she'd made to Hermione in her fourth year, but Hermione hadn't really cared so long as she wasn't smudging Harry's good name; but, of course, Hermione's _good_ fortune allowed her to be in the presence of the very bug she despised the most. Umbridge, the ungrateful toad, on the other hand remained a nuisance to the trio as she was always trying overwhelm them with her efforts to reinstate Cornelius Fudge, or in recent days…instate herself, as Minister of Magic. Hermione sighed, but attempted to hide her tension by putting on a confident smile. She was relieved to see that Arthur Weasley was there. _Of course, he's here!_ Hermione reminded herself, _This is _his_ department!_ It appeared to Hermione that Mr. Weasley was to preside over the Hearing, which greatly lowered her tension. He would see to it, with all his power, that Hermione was granted, at the very least, visitation rights.

"Is everyone in attendance," his voice rang out above all the gossip and instantaneously the chamber was silent, "Very well. I assume you all know why were are here, so let's get on with it then. Miss Hermione Jean Granger, you have come here seeking permanent custody of your biological daughter, Lauran Anastasia Courtinger. Am I correct?"

She nodded, "Yes, sir, I am."

He continued on, reading off his paper, this time addressing Mr. and Mrs. Courtinger, "And you, Mr. John Michael Courtinger and Mrs. Elizabeth Kingsley Courtinger, are present here today counter-suing, saying that Miss Granger here has not ever and, seemingly, will not ever meet the responsibility requirements of raising the aforementioned child?"

Both muggles answered in unison, "Yes, sir, I am."

"Very well," Mr. Weasley said diligently, "Given, I am sure everyone present is familiar with the…_situation_ at hand," Hermione was relieved to hear that he would not mention the rape in front of Lauran, as she did not know as of yet, and continued listening, "let's continue on with the testimonies, shall we?"

Mrs. Courtinger spoke first, speaking for both herself and husband, "My husband and I refuse to believe for one second that Miss Granger is capable of raising Lauran. She has avoided the girl for her entire life and suddenly she wants custody? I do not trust it one bit!"

Hermione was next, "I'd like to start off by saying that I have never once avoided Lauran…ever. Had I known where she was, I would have contacted her as soon as I was able. Secondly, I believe that I will be quite capable of raising my daughter, possibly greater than Mr. and Mrs. Courtinger would. Lauran is a witch, she needs a witch mother to guide her through adolescence and her coming of age in the wizarding world. Who better than her biological mother?"

Lauran shyly, spoke after that, "I'd like to live with my mother--," Mrs. Courtinger cheered at this, but was soon let down, "--Hermione Granger. She is so sweet and I know in my heart that she loves me and wants nothing but the best for me. I know that if she had known where I was, she would have found me ages ago, but she didn't…she couldn't…so here we are now. And as for my adoptive parents, well…they've never actually beaten me, but they've never showed me exact kindness either. It has become worse since I found out I am a witch. They've been neglecting my emotions."

To Hermione's horror, Umbridge was the next and final person to testify, "I, Dolores Jane Umbridge, do not think for one second that Hermione Granger should have custody of this child. I once taught Miss Granger at Hogwarts and she lacked responsibility, showing a complete disregard for the rules. She even lead me into the Forbidden Forest where I was attacked by a giant! How does that qualify her for custody of such a young individual?"

Mr. Weasley looked at Hermione warily before proceeding, "Now that we all have heard mutual testimonies of both the positive and the negative view points, perhaps we should come to a final decision? I ask, that if you feel Hermione Jean Granger should be granted custody of her daughter by birth, Lauran Anastasia Courtinger, then you should raise your hand now."

Hermione's heart pounded in her chest and she felt as if she could not breathe. She watched as slowly, people throughout the room, the workers of this department, raised their hands.

Mr. Weasley spoke again, "I ask, now, that if you feel Hermione Jean Granger should _not_ be granted custody of her daughter by birth, Lauran Anastasia Courtinger, and that Mr. John Michael Courtinger and Mrs. Elizabeth Kingsley Courtinger be allowed to continue to possess custody of their daughter by law, Lauran Anastasia Courtinger, then you should raise your hand now."

Hermione thought that the positive votes were horrible enough, but now she saw that the negative were worse. She felt faint and was sure she would not last another minute. But she had to be strong for the sake of Lauran, if she fainted they would surely believe she was incapable of raising Lauran and she could not bear to loose her daughter again. She most certainly would not survive another loss. Daringly, Hermione glanced up to see the hands that were raised. Unsurprisingly, Umbridge had her hand raised high in the air. Hermione was furious that she now worked in this department, but knew that it was the only that would hire her after the incidents in Hermione's fifth year. Counting the hands, Hermione let out a sigh of relief.

Success is always wonderful. It brings you happiness and it felt as if this was the happiest she'd ever been in her entire life. They'd done it. They were a family now. No more feeling alone or sad. There they stood, just staring at one another, almost afraid that if either blinked the good feeling would go away. Together, they walked off, arm in arm. They were smiling. It was such a good feeling; nothing could ever ruin it.

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**Author's Note:** If you would like to see what Hermione and Ron looked like on their date, go to the following link (just take out the spaces):

http : / / j . bdbphotos . com / news / pictures / 9L / 77 / 977 _ large . jpg


	12. The Forbidden Forest

**Author's Note:** So here is Chapter Eleven! Can you believe we are near the end? Only four more chapters to go!**

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Chapter Eleven:**

"_the Forbidden Forest_"

As it neared the middle of April, the new family sat together in Hermione's office. Lauran had elected to eat her grand breakfast in privacy with her mother that evening and Hermione had seemed to enjoy the company. Lauran, on the other hand, had other intentions on this night.

"Mum? I'd like to know something."

Hermione sighed, "What is it, love?"

"I want to know who my father is. And why you seem so reserved about telling me."

Hermione's face became shrouded in panic for a brief second before she calmed herself and responded, "Alright, Lauran, but I have to warn you…this story is no fairy tale. It has no happy ending, unless, of course, you consider that I have you now. It does not begin with happiness and love. In fact, those aspects play no part in it at all. I hate to admit: I never loved your father. Now, Lauran, I love you with all my heart, even when your father shows in you. I am sure you have heard the story of Harry Potter in his first year of Hogwarts and what happened when he protected the Philosopher's Stone from Lord Voldemort?"

Lauran nodded, saying that she'd been taught so in her Wizarding History class. Hermione continued, "They don't tell the whole story. In fact, they don't know the _real_ story. They don't know that Ron and I faced Quirell alongside of Harry and they don't know the role _I_ played in Harry and Ron's survival. You see, Quirell decided that he wanted a little something for his efforts. Something that Voldemort couldn't give him. Something _I_ could. He bargained that if I gave up my innocence, he would spare Harry and Ron. I was a young girl, but I was also a Gryffindor. I was very noble. Now, Voldemort didn't like this so he attempted to stop Quirell from carrying out this plan, but he failed. In the end, Quirell won and stole my innocence. Harry defeated him in the end, but the wound was there. Soon after, I discovered I was pregnant…with you. Oh, I was determined to keep you," Hermione was in tears now, "but my parents wouldn't have it. I was young, they said, I had _my whole life ahead of me. One day I would thank them_. But I never have, and I don't know if I ever will. Some say that giving up my innocence was the worst mistake of my life. I disagree; giving up _you_ was the worst mistake of my life and I will never forgive myself."

Hermione sobbed and reached to put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, but was sorely disappointed. Lauran pulled away from her and stared at her mother with disgust or anger; which, Hermione couldn't be sure of. She looked as if she were about to say something, but then thought better of it. Without warning, she spun around and ran from the room. Hermione was stunned, after all, she'd known Lauran would not handle the news well but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined her to react like that. Picking up her wand she rushed from her office and followed after her daughter.

After an hour of searching, though it'd felt like only minutes, Hermione rushed to see McGonagall and inform her. As always, the Headmistress was understanding, but firm all the same. Unfortunately, there was not much she could do. She could place the school on a lockdown of sorts and have every student return to their common rooms, meanwhile, the rest of the staff would continue to search for the girl. Hermione wished that she was in possession with the Marauder's Map, but, sadly, it was with Harry.

Hours later, Lauran still remained missing. It completely baffled Hermione. Where could that girl have gotten off to that the staff had not already looked? Unless, she kept moving there was no way possible she was in the castle. Hermione's eyes widened. _In the castle!_ They'd searched the entire castle ten times over, but no one had searched the grounds. Of course, Hagrid had stayed out by his cabin keeping a look out for the girl but what if she'd already got past his watch. Running out through the large doors making up the entrance of the castle, Hermione's heart rate picked up. Her daughter could be anywhere and for all she knew, Lauran could be dead. She yelled her daughter's name and watched birds fly from the tops of trees in fear of her voice, but received no answer. With desperation, she called again, and again she got no answer. She threw herself into a run in the direction of Hagrid's cabin. As promised, he was standing outside, his hand over his eyebrows blocking out the setting sun and keeping a fierce look at his surroundings. Hermione ran up to him and let out a terrified sigh.

"Oh, Hagrid. Please tell me you have seen her?"

He looked at her sadly, "No. I haven' _seen_ her, but I might've heard 'er. Did ye hear that scream a few moments back?"

Hermione's eyes widened even more so than they already were, "Scream?!?"

With that she took off running in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. It was the only place she could be if she'd been screaming. She pushed herself through the brush and the trees, crying out Lauran's name. After what seemed like ages, Hermione tripped over something in the middle of a pathway Hagrid had created. Ignoring the blood she felt trickling down her chin from a cut she had received, presumably on her cheek, she turned her head to face what made her fall. Her heart caught at the sight she saw. There was Lauran, her baby, crumpled on the ground, covered in dirt and blood. Hermione sobbed out her name as she crawled to the lifeless form. Cradling her daughter in her arms, she cried, begging her to wake. As she did, she examined her. She had cuts all over her arms and legs and even some on her face. Some were deeper than others, but none was insignificant. Based on her appearance and their surroundings, Hermione guessed that she'd been attacked by Bowtruckles. Hermione thanked Merlin that her daughter had managed to fight them off before…she didn't want to think about how they probably would have gouged Lauran's eyes out if given the chance. _Bloody Hell! I hate my mind at times_, Hermione thought, cursing herself for thinking about gouging and eyes.

"_Ferula_," she said conjuring bandages over Lauran's wounds, and then she moved Lauran's body out of the forest, passed Hagrid and into the castle where she took her daughter to the Hospital Wing with, "_Mobilicorpus_."

***

The next morning, Lauran awoke facing the stern eye of her mother staring her down. She nearly jumped at the glare she was receiving and was amazed that her sweet and loving mother was capable of owning such a look. She attempted to move but found that her body was too stiff, so instead she settled for speech.

"I'm sorry."

Hermione jumped up and Lauran prepared herself for the blow, "You damn well better be sorry! Running off into that forest! It's _forbidden_ for a reason, you know! You could have been killed! How do you think I would have felt then?! Did you even stop to think about that? No."

Lauran looked down, ashamed at herself. It was true, she hadn't thought about her mother and what her reaction would be if she got hurt. But Lauran was hurt. This whole time she had envisioned a perfect love story about how her mother met her father and fell in love and created her, but now she was disheartened to learn that her mother and father had hated one another and the only reason she existed was through rape. She found that thought rather depressing. Lauran also remembered feeling fear of her mother not wanting her anymore after being forced to the relive the whole experience. She remembered that feeling the most, for that was the reason she ran. She hadn't known where to go, so she ran to the forest. She ran and ran until she was attacked by some type of creature she'd never known before. They'd scratched at her arms and her face until Lauran was able to fight them off, with much luck. She wrapped herself together, cradling her legs in her arms. And now she was here. And now she understood the magnitude of her mother's anger.

Hermione calmed herself a bit, "Tomorrow, when you leave here, you will be fulfilling a day-long detention. You have also lost fifteen points from Slytherin. I expected better of you, please do not disappoint me again."

***

The next morning Hermione felt awful. It was not just because she had just been forced to punish her only daughter severely, but she felt sick to her stomach. This baffled her. She could not think of one reason that she would be feeling as such. She had waken early and was now on her way to McGonagall's office to request a substitute for the day. When she was granted her request, she returned back to her quarters. To her surprise there was an owl sitting on her desk. She approached it, taking some feed out of a bowl and giving it the owl. Placing a small amount of money in its pouch, she took the letter from its beak and, as the owl flew away, opened it.

_Miss Granger,  
__If it may be possible, I would like to write an article on you and your 'new' daughter. I was recently at the custody hearing, where you came to my attention. I would like to interview both you and your daughter, and then write about the nature of your reasoning. Additionally, I would like to write about your struggles as a young mother. Please respond within the next day so that we may set up the date and time of our interview.  
__Sincerely,  
__Rita Skeeter_

Hermione was furious and irritated that Rita Skeeter would even suggest such a thing. Fueled by her anger, she wrote a very lengthy reply denying her request of an interview.


	13. Abhorrence

**Author's Note:** Here is Chapter Twelve; I hope you enjoy it. Two more full chapters to go, and then the epilogue! We're almost done!

**

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**

**Chapter Twelve:**

"_Abhorrence_"

Close to a week later, as Hermione was once again attempting to write her novel, Lauran rushed into her office looking to be on the verge of tears. She held in her hand what Hermione assumed was today's issue of the _Daily Prophet_, that was clearly occupied by a picture of Hermione and Lauran taken just after the Hearing.

"Oh, no! Don't tell me that wretch of a bug…I mean _woman_ actually went through with the story?"

Lauran looked at her accusingly, "You knew?"

"Knew? Of course, I knew! She sent me an owl requesting an interview! And, well, for lack of better words, I told her where she could stick that interview!"

Lauran's angry face changed abruptly to impressed and amused, "Mum? I didn't think you could be so rude!"

Hermione chuckled, "Well, one doesn't grow up with Harry and Ron and not learn a thing or two about rudeness. I needed to learn how to take of myself, and you for that matter."

Lauran laughed, but then her face returned to serious, "What are we going to do?"

"This is just something we have to live with. If we try to do anything, she'll pick on that. We're stuck, but don't you worry...not many people believe her anymore."

With that, she hugged her daughter and sent her on her way. And picking up the paper to see what damage had been done, she cursed Rita Skeeter with every evil bone in her body.

** Custody Hearing Gone Wrong  
**_By Rita Skeeter_

Just mere weeks ago, I was present at a hearing between a witch and two muggles who were so desperately fighting for custody of one, Lauran Anastasia Courtinger. Miss Courtinger, who is the adoptive daughter of Mr. John Michael Courtinger and Mrs. Elizabeth Kingsley Courtinger, is now in the custody of her biological mother, Hermione Jean Granger. Miss Granger, if you'll remember, once toyed with the hearts of famous wizards, Harry Potter and Viktor Krum. There now is speculation of who the father of little Miss Courtinger is. It could be the "Boy Who Lived" and Internationally Renowned Quidditch Player: Harry Potter, Internationally Renowned Quidditch Player: Viktor Krum or even Miss Granger's long time best friend and possible boyfriend: Ronald Weasley.

Not so long after the hearing, I wrote to Miss Granger requesting an interview with her and her 'new' daughter, so as to obtain information for this article, however, Miss Granger rudely replied, "No." No news yet as to how Miss Courtinger will fair with her new mother.

Hermione threw the paper and glanced at her desk, very tempted to write a very lengthy letter to the insect of a woman. Remembering, however, what she had just told her daughter, she restrained herself.

***

Lauran was stomping through the hallways. _There's nothing we can do?!_ she thought angrily to herself as students in the hallway eyed her anger with amusement. Still, they hated her, for none had forgotten her ability to talk to snakes, but now that the article on herself and her mother had been printed, they seemed to get great amusement from her anger…which angered her more. Hadn't she proved to them by now, she was not the spawn of evil as she had once been proclaimed? Granted, in a way, they'd been right. Her _father_ had been _possessed_ by the spawn of evil they assumed, so wouldn't that make him her father as well? It would most definitely answer a lot questions her mother failed to answer. One such being: Why could she speak parseltongue? Now she assumed it was because of the evil her _father_ had been possessed by…which in theory some of the powers had been transferred to her. The same thing had happened to Harry Potter…sort of. Completely lost in her thought, she did not see the girl in front of her and, unable to stop her step in enough time, ran right into her. She was surprised to see her friend from the Samhain Ball all those months ago.

The two hadn't really been able to talk due to the separate houses and different classes--Analese was taking much more advanced classes than Lauran, given that she was so intelligent--in fact, they hadn't talked since that night beside the Black Lake. Helping each other up, the two launched into conversation. Acting like the girls they were, they talked about boys they liked and boys they didn't and when Ana, as Lauran could now call her, asked about life, Lauran was unable to stop herself from talking. Eventually, they got onto the subject of Rita Skeeter's new story. Ana was greatly annoyed by this article. Though short, it was very scandalous.

"It's just ridiculous! How can she get away with it?"

Lauran almost laughed at her new friend's protectiveness over her, "Well, Mum says not many people believe her anymore."

"Even still," she said angrily, and then suddenly perked up, "I could hex her to oblivion if you wanted me to?"

Lauran laughed, "No. That isn't necessary."

"Hades?"

"No."

"Please?"

"I'll think about it."

"Yes!"

***

As was the norm, Hermione once again was sitting at her desk writing her novel when something disturbed her. _Bloody Hell!_ she thought as she got up to answer the owl tapping at her window, _Merlin's Beard…I'm turning into Ron!_ She laughed at that thought. They'd been spending so much time together recently, it was amazing. Grabbing the letter, however, she turned her attention to it. Opening it, she saw the neat scrawl of someone she hated more than Rita Skeeter.

_Dear Miss Granger,  
__As you may well be aware of, I was recently in attendance at the custody hearing between you and a set of muggles. Now, do not misunderstand me, seeing that I am all for a witch being raised as such, rather than as a muggle; however, I feel that perhaps you should not have been chosen to be the witch to do so. Based upon my memory of you from Hogwarts, you are irresponsible and inadequate of raising a child…much less a young witch just coming into her powers. I do not even believe that you should be teaching at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As you know, Hogwarts is a fine wizarding institute, and regrettably, you do not make for a fine instructor. I apologize for any offense, I did not mean to insult you. I am just merely voicing my opinion.  
__Signed,  
__Dolores J. Umbridge_

Hermione, in her rage, grabbed a quill and parchment and wrote a response to Miss. Dolores Jane Umbridge:

_Miss Umbridge,  
__I am very well aware that you were present at the hearing between Mr. and Mrs. Courtinger and myself. I apologize that you are not happy with the results of said hearing, however I must remind you that it is not only_ _your decision to make. A decision, as such, is made by a group of people who are knowledgeable in the situation at hand. As for my teaching at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall believes I make an excellent professor and has even asked me to return next year. I may just accept. Next, I must advise that you keep yourself out of the business of other people…it is quite rude and leads people to believe that you are nothing but a bothersome toad. I apologize for any offense, I did not mean to insult you. I am just merely voicing my opinion.  
__Signed,  
__Hermione Granger_

Hermione smiled, quite pleased with herself.

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**REVIEWS ARE WELCOME!**


	14. Karma

**Author's Note:** Well, this is a short chapter but I rather like it. What do you think? Just one more full chapter to go! Then, we still have the epilogue, of course. Maybe I'll get the time to publish both this weekend, if not...we'll still be finished soon!

**Reviews are welcome!**

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**Chapter Thirteen:**

"_Karma_"

_An' ever mind the rule of three, what you send out comes back to thee._

-the Wiccan Rede

The next Monday afternoon, Lauran was sitting by the Black Lake with her new best friend, Analese. The two were lost in conversation on a multitude of subjects. They discussed past events in their life and their plans for the summer break. As they sat and gossiped, an owl from the Owl Post flew in their direction and landed right beside her. Giving it the necessary payment, she received the _Daily Prophet_ with confusion. Glancing at the headlines with Ana, she stared in disbelief. Ana, however, was attempting to keep herself from laughing hysterically.

**In Memory of Two Great Witches  
**_By Ariana Roman_

The _Daily Prophet_ is sad to report that previously on this Saturday evening the Wizarding World lost two great witches, both of whom will be greatly remembered: Rita Skeeter and Dolores Umbridge.

Victoria Rita Skeeter will perhaps be a witch who will never be forgotten. However, when her career was young, she chose to drop her first name of Victoria and assumed the name Rita Skeeter. Miss Skeeter spent her early years on Market Street in Rye with her mother. Her mother had been widowed shortly before Miss Skeeter was born. Not much is known about Rita Skeeter's years at Hogwarts, however, sources tell us that she was once involved with a man she met in London, though it is assumed that nothing progressed farther than a single date. This is due to Miss Skeeter never having been married, as she seems to have kept her maiden name throughout her life. A life that was ended so tragically.

Recently, Miss Skeeter was doing a report on Harry Potter at a Quidditch Match not far from Galway, Ireland, where mysteriously she fell to her untimely demise. Some witnesses say, "It was terrible. It could not have been an accident. Someone had to have cursed her."

Indeed, she may have been cursed and Aurors at the Ministry of Magic are looking into this tip.

Secondly, Dolores Jane Umbridge was brutally murdered on this same tragic night. Miss Umbridge grew up in the bustling city of London and attended Hogwarts, where she met her first love; however, sources were unable to determine who that may have been, but they were able to learn that she remained in love with this man her whole life. Years ago, Miss Umbridge was part of the Wizengamot and the "right-hand-man" of previous Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. After the second reign of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, she was released from her job in the Wizengamot and admitted into a new department created by Arthur Weasley, the Department of Wizard and Muggle Cooperation.

On Saturday evening, Miss Umbridge was attacked by a werewolf who was able to shift forms at will. This is scarce for a werewolf, however, the this is not the first time the Wizarding World has had to face a "free-changing" werewolf. Fenrir Greyback was able to do so just before he died in the final battle against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, where he was killed by Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Umbridge was undoubtedly mauled and left to bleed to death somewhere in the forests of Scotland. No one knows for sure why she was present in that forest. Skeptics are not enthralled by the idea of another "free-changing" werewolf and assume that it may have been Fenrir Greyback himself. However, we are assured by Aurors that Greyback is undeniably dead.

Throughout the course of this week, we will be publishing more articles on the lives of these two witches, whom shall never leave the hearts and memories of the Wizarding World.

In Memory of  
Victoria Rita Skeeter  
June 4, 1951-April 26,2003  
and  
Dolores Jane Umbridge  
September 30, 1945-April 26, 2003

Lauran stared at the paper amazed by what she had just read. Could it be true? The woman who had attempted to ruin her new relationship with her mother…was dead? She wanted to feel bad, she really did, but a part of herself could not bring herself to feel such an emotion over the death of this woman. Instead, she was only able to think of that being how Karma was and that she should run and tell her mother that very instant. Which, she did. Grabbing the paper, which Ana had already finished reading, and bidding farewell to her friend, Lauran ran to her mother's office. When she ran through the door, she thought that her mother might have died from a fright.

"Where's the fire, love?"

Lauran handed her the paper, "In here. In the _Daily Prophet_."

Hermione read the article and when she finished, her eyes darted from her daughter to the newspaper and back again, but only managed to say, "Bloody Hell!"

Just then, an owl flew in through an open window and landed on her desk. She gladly took the enclosed the letter and paid the owl for its troubles. It then flew away, and she read the letter.

_Dear Miss Granger,  
__In light of recent events, it is imperative that we search for a new reporter for the _Daily Prophet_. Recently, we received notification from a reliable source that you have quite the knack for writing and getting _correct_ facts. It is because of this that we write you an owl requesting that you take the place of the late Rita Skeeter as our head reporter and columnist. Please respond with your owl no later than next Tuesday.  
__Yours sincerely,  
__Ariana Roman  
__Senior Editor of the _Daily Prophet

Hermione could not help herself. She was only able to smile and squeal at that moment. She would worry about the embarrassment later.


	15. Surprise!

**Chapter Fourteen:**

"_Surprise!_"

It'd been about a week since she'd accepted the job from the _Daily Prophet_ and resigned from her teaching career at Hogwarts, agreeing to finish the year. At the moment, however, Hermione could be found pacing her office for what felt like the twentieth time that day. _It can't be possible. No. It's not._ she told herself over and over again as if it would make the statement true. She'd been careful…_they'd_ been careful! There was no way she was…she couldn't even bring herself to think it.

"_Expertus Gravidae_."

Instantly, the wand in her hand pointed at the bare wall and flashed the date: _January 21, 2004_.

"Oh! Just my luck! Oh! I'm not ready for this."

Grabbing a quill and parchment, she wrote a hasty letter to Ron.

_Ron,  
__I hate to bother you, but would you mind dropping by my office at Hogwarts for just a minute or two. I have something of great importance I need to talk to you about.  
__Much Love,  
__Hermione_

Rolling up the parchment, she ran down to the Owlery and called down her owl. After feeding her some owl feed, she handed her the rolled up parchment and told her to take it to Ron. She then returned to her office to wait.

When Ron arrived, Hermione was pacing again. He knew something was wrong just by judging the sight in front of him. Daringly, he chose to speak first.

"Hello, Hermione. What's wrong?"

She spun around to face him, her face etched in panic, "Ron, you might want to sit down."

He raised his eyebrow, but nonetheless obeyed.

"I don't know where to start, so I'm just going to say it. Ron…I'm pregnant!"

After announcing the news, she began to pace again. She'd made one full round of pacing when Ron wrapped her in his arms, "Alright. I am correct in assuming it's mine?"

She nodded, and for a brief moment considered slapping him for ever thinking otherwise, and he continued, "What would you like to do?"

"I don't know."

He sighed but smiled, "Well…I have an idea"

"What is that?"

He took a deep breath, knowing he was treading on dangerous water, "Maybe…we should…get married?"

She stared at him intently for a few moments and sighed, "You're right. We should. It will be best for the baby and besides, Lauran will need a father figure. She's had one her whole life and I don't know how she would react to not having one. The wedding would have to be soon, though, and small."

He chuckled, amazed she agreed with him, "Alright. I don't have a problem with that. When and where do you want to do it?"

She bit her lip and he knew she was thinking carefully, "How about the last Saturday of this month? That should get us plenty of time to get ready…and I won't be showing much yet. And I was thinking…maybe at the Burrow, if your mother doesn't mind?"

"That sounds great…but first," he said, getting down on one knee and taking her hand in his, "Hermione Jean Granger, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

She smiled, pulling him up to kiss him and then said, "Yes, I will."

He laughed, "I love you."

She bit her lip again, only this time she looked worried.

He hugged her a little tighter, beginning to get worried himself, "What's wrong?"

"How do we tell Lauran?"

***

Lauran was running to her mother's office after she'd received a hasty letter from her mother informing her that her mother wanted to see her immediately. She had no idea as to why her mother wanted her, but she did know that it seemed important. When she finally made her way into the office, she was shocked to see not only her mother, but the man that she'd met months before when she'd first had detention; however, at the moment, she could not recall his name.

"Lauran, love, so glad you got my message," her mother said to her, forcing a smile.

She tensed, worried about what her mother wanted her for, "Yes, I did. What did you need?"

"We actually need to talk to you about something."

Lauran sighed, "And what might that be?"

"Well, you've met Ron already," her mother said, motioning to the man beside her, "But I'm willing to bet you didn't know that we were seeing each other."

"No. I didn't know that."

Hermione smiled, "Well…we are."

"And, am I to assume that you have decided to marry him? Really, is that it?"

Hermione took a deep breath, "Right, you are. We have decided to get married, but there is more."

"More?"

"Yes, more. I also happen to be pregnant," her mother said and flinched. Lauran felt disheartened to realize that her mother thought she would be angry, when she really wasn't.

"So, I'm going to have a little brother or sister?"

Her mother smiled, comprehending that her daughter was not mad, "Yes, you are."

And then, Lauran did something that neither Hermione nor Ron expected…

She hugged them both.

***

The next Saturday evening, everyone gathered together for dinner at the Burrow. In attendance were: Molly and Arthur, Bill and Fleur, Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, George, Charlie, Neville, Luna, Hagrid, McGonagall, and Lauran. Everyone was anxious to hear the news that Hermione and Ron had to share with everyone. Well, everyone except Lauran, who already knew.

After a wonderful meal prepared by Molly, everyone retired to the living area to hear the news. Hermione found it quite comical how everyone tried so desperately to squeeze into the tiny room. There was a lot of loud chatter before Ron raised his voice, commanding the attention of all.

"Quiet! Do you want to hear what we have to tell you or not?"

When the room went silent, he looked to Hermione, who nodded, and continued, "Well, the reason we've got you lot gathered here tonight is to tell you all something very important. Right…well…Hermione and I have decided to get married."

All at once everyone was cheering and running up to the couple and hugging them tightly, except for Lauran who only smirked knowingly. Ginny's voice rang out above all others saying, "Well it's about damn time!"

Ron and Hermione laughed and then Molly, who was silently scolding her daughter for her language, spoke up, "Have you decided when?"

"The last Saturday of May…May 31st," Hermione answered.

Everyone exchanged glances, and Hermione knew what they were thinking…and knew they were right. George, of course, had to make a joke of their thoughts, "Merlin's Beard, Hermione! That's soon. You're not pregnant, are you?"

Hermione tried to smile and sighed, "Actually, George…I am."

The room went silent for a minute or two, but soon everyone, Lauran excluded, was calling out their congratulations…everyone except Molly. Molly's face was tight and her eyes were closed. Her lips were pursed tight together as if she were trying to keep her comments to herself. Hermione looked down to her feet and felt quite disheartened. She'd been desperately seeking Molly's support and approval in all of this. Suddenly, she felt arms embracing her and tears hitting her shoulder and was shocked to hear Molly's voice in her ear.

"Hermione, I am so happy for you. For the both of you…excuse me, the _three_ of you. You, Ronald and Lauran. You deserve to be a family. And I'm sorry if I frightened you, I was just so overjoyed for you I couldn't help but crying, though I didn't want to. I was concentrating so hard on not crying, I'm afraid I may have lead to you believe I was angry. I'm really not, I'm actually very thrilled."

With the encouragement she needed, Hermione embraced her future mother-in-law even more and smiled, feeling very content.

***

Her friends stood around her and she was smiling. At last she was happy. It was an amazing feeling to be carefree and joyous. She was content. She had the love of her life, the daughter she'd lost and another precious bundle soon to come into her life. Nothing could possibly go wrong. She almost cried when they helped her with her dress. It was gorgeous ivory satin and hit all the way to the floor. It was fitted at the top and flaired just below her knees; the woman at the dress shop called it, "mermaid." Her sweetheart neckline greatly reminded her of a heart, making her feel even more confident, and was covered in magnificent embroidery. For a brief moment she regretted choosing the chapel train, spanning out four feet from her waist, but after a second thought poise once again captivated her. She wore no veil, instead choosing to wear a small tiara that held pearls and rhinestones in an semi-intricate way that still managed to be simple.

When she went to place the tiara on its rightful place, she felt hands stop her from doing so. Spinning around she was surprised to see her mother, who was now taking hold of the tiara and placing it atop her head. Hermione looked to her mother and felt tears fall down her face and passed her smile. Embracing her mother, she apologized for not writing during the year and said that she felt guilty for not telling her about Lauran. And then she released her mother from the embrace and called her daughter over to them. Once the introductions were over, Hermione found herself in tears watching her mother and daughter meet for the first time in almost twelve years. It was disheartening to see what fate had done to them, but now Hermione smiled to know that things were getting better. Ginny, being the loving best friend she was, hugged her with a friendly squeeze and lead her to the vanity table set up in her room, where she began to attack Hermione's face with numerous spells for make up.

Finally, when it was time to go, the group of friends in the room lead Hermione down to the living area where the line up was. Hermione saw her father and felt the tears coming again and, though Ginny had used waterproof make up spells, she would not allow herself to cry anymore…_Well, at least until the ceremony._ she thought to herself and then she walked up to her father and hugged him with all the love she had. Before she could say anything to her father, the procession began and she felt her heart race in every bone of her body. What if he decided he didn't want her anymore…that he didn't want a family with her? What if he walked out on her and Lauran and the baby growing inside of her? Then she realized she was just being silly. He loved her and Lauran and even the baby that none had met. He would not leave her.

At long last, Hermione and her father made their way down the aisle to where Ron stood. He was smiling, which made Hermione smile even more. Many people were crying tears of joy and smiling at her as she walked alongside her father. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Before Hermione realized, they were at the alter and it was time for her father to give her away. After he did so, Hermione felt silent tears leave sparkling trails down her cheeks as Ron grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, which she lovingly returned. Professor McGonagall, whom they'd asked to perform the ceremony, began to speak. All over, Hermione felt tingly and she was not sure if it was just nerves. In the end, after vows were spoken and promises made, McGonagall's voice rang louder than ever.

"_Conjungium, Amor, Fidelitas et Prosperitas, Usque Ad Mortem Vestrum_."

Instantly, a white cord wrapped around her and Ron's entwined hands and Hermione knew what those words, that spell, meant before they were spoken in English.

"Marriage, Love, Fidelity and Prosperity, all the way until your death."

_Forever and ever, Ronald, I give you my heart_, Hermione thought to herself and made the mental note to tell him so later on in the evening. No happiness in the world could compare to this.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This is the final chapter, excluding the epilogue.

**Translations:** _Expertus Gravidae_ means "Pregnancy Test"

**Links:** For those of you who want to see what Hermione's dress and tiara looked like, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the epilogue. I would post the links here now, but my computer does not like fanfiction today. I have attempted to post this chapter likely five times today. I apologize and hopefully I will remember to post the links, if not review and I will switch that chapter for one that does have the links.

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	16. Letting Go

**Author's Note:** I apologize to those who wanted to see what Hermione's dress and tiara looked like...for some reason, whenever I try to copy and past the link...my computer freezes up and then the internet closes itself out. So, I'm afraid, if you wanted to see the dress and tiara...leave a review and I will try to respond with the links, or at the very least...tell you where you can find them.

Alas! We have to come to the end. It's a fairly short epilogue, but I'm quite satisfied with it. At the moment, I am not planning a sequel but that may change. I really hope you enjoyed this story and if you did: please, leave a review and let me know. I almost feel as if I am unaccomplished, despite having actually finished this one, because here we are at the final chapter of this entire story and it only has one review! Maybe I'm just being to needy? ;]

Anyway, **I really hope you enjoyed this story. I'm already working on my next one, you can find out information on it on my website; which you can get to by going to my profile page and clicking on _homepage_. It is titled, _Her Last Mystery_.**

**

* * *

Epilogue:**

"_Letting Go_"

His palms were sweaty and his heart was racing. He'd paced the room twenty times and he would pace it twenty more. Was this how it felt? Your wife in labor and they won't let you in the room? He could hear her calling for him, knew she was in pain and wanted him…only him. Finally, a Healer walked out and allowed him in and there she was. She looked amazing in that hospital gown and even beautiful with her hair sticking to her face from hours and hours of pain and suffering. She was absolutely beautiful. She called out to him over and over again saying it was time and this was it and he vaguely remembered the first time she went through this…with Lauran. He'd loved her then, he now realized. He'd loved her always and always would. With all the support he could, he helped her bring a new life into the world and when he heard that first cry and saw Hermione crying, he couldn't help but tear up a little himself.

"It's a girl!"

He heard the Healers proclaim that they had a baby girl and he wrapped his wife in a loving embrace, at which time the entire family made their way into the room. Lauran walked up to her mother and her father and a Healer placed their daughter into Hermione's arms and asked what they'd like to name her.

Hermione looked at Ron and Lauran and smiled, "If you don't mind, I'd like to name her Nymphadora Tonks Weasley."

All family in attendance questioned her reasoning, except for Lauran who didn't yet understand, but Hermione merely smiled again and said, "Tonks was an amazing woman whose life ended so tragically and for so long, I've been repressing that memory. I've been repressing every bad memory…with great failure…and so today, in tribute of Tonks and the bad memories I've tried so hard to forget, I want to name my daughter Nymphadora…but we'll call her Tonks. Memories can be dreadfully haunting, but I'd rather not live my life in horrible memories anymore. Memories, good or bad, are what keep us going and they remind us that no matter how hard we may have it now…it will always get better."

**THE END**


End file.
